ATLANTA – The election could be decided in Georgia’s fastest-growing and most ethnically diverse county.
Gwinnett County, of which metro Atlanta is a part 58% of voters Backed Joe Biden in 2020, compared to 40% who voted for Donald Trump, both parties re-entered the race focused on the economy. Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic position emphasized small business ownersand those of Gwinnett County – one NBC News follows the countries that “Decided.” — admit they could use more support.
So far, many like what Harris has to offer, though some remain undecided a week before Election Day. Their choices could be keyed by Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, two campaigns in a virtual dead heat in the last polls, and also important local issues shaping the race.
said Roberto Correa, owner of Beto’s Tacos in Suwanee Harris’ proposal to allow a tax deduction of up to $50,000 for start-up costs “it would be great for a lot of people like me.”
Born in Mexico, Correa opened his first Beto in 2019 and expanded during the pandemic. It currently operates four locations in the Atlanta area. Higher costs for produce like avocados have squeezed its margins, and sales are down about 20% this year, making it harder to get credit.
“We need help so we can have more money and buy in bulk [gain] more power to compete with bigger franchises,” Correa said. But he has not yet decided which presidential candidate he will support.
While both campaigns blitzed Georgia, Harris should rally in and around Atlanta, the heavily Democratic state capital. metro area cappp. 29 counties — Blunting Trump’s rural appeal. He commands 75% support in metro Atlanta compared to Trump’s 22%, and the two have 49% statewide. Marist College’s latest poll the number of likely voters with a margin of error of about 4%.
“If you have a strong, robust economic development plan that supports small businesses, you have a real opportunity to get more than the average vote,” said Fred Hicks, a Georgia-based political strategist who worked on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s narrow plan. 2021 wins. That could create a “cushion he wants to go into Election Day.”
Gwinnett County may offer a test appeals from both campaigns for colored voters and on topics important to immigrants, especially business owners.
According to 2020 census data, the county is extremely diverse, with no single ethnic group making up more than a third of residents. It is also a cauldron of commercial activity. Four Atlanta areas were among the top 10 nationally for new business growth from 2019 to 2023. No. 7 with Gwinnetta March analysis of federal data by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank.
“When you have a significantly higher percentage of the immigrant population, you have a lot of business creation activity,” said Jerry Parrish, chief economist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “People find places to live and people like them. They managed to create many jobs and opportunities there.”
There are many people working here from all over the world.
Roberto Correa, owner of Beto’s Tacos
Trump is trying to convince his supporters that many immigrants are economic drag and that there are people here without permission. to be held in camps and deported by the millions. Last week, Gwinnett blamed Harris and Biden at a rally in suburban Duluth. The killing of Laken RileyA 22-year-old nursing student on the campus of the University of Georgia. A 26-year-old Venezuelan migrant who entered the United States illegally has been charged with multiple criminal charges.
“He’s put these people in your communities all over America, and they’re the grossest people,” Trump told Harris’ crowd.
Correa said he ignores Trump’s rhetoric on immigrants. Lies about Haitians eating their pets for language used by white supremacistsfor example, migrants “animals“who has”.occupied” or “infected” communities, “poisoning the blood of our country” or “bad genes.” The Trump campaign said these comments are directed only at violent criminals or those who enter the United States illegally and use social services.
“This country was built [by] immigrants,” Correa said, adding that at least half of his employees are foreign-born. “There are many people who work here from all over the world. I just keep taking it forward and focus on my work, make sure I’m treated right by people.”
Black men are also key to Gwinnett’s diverse business community and the Harris campaign worked to oppose Trump’s entrance with this demographic. This month it came out including suggestions Changing tax laws to provide black entrepreneurs with $1 million in forgivable $20,000 loans and incentives for employee ownership and profit sharing plans.
Ron Tyler Jr., owner of Duluth-based entertainment companies Tyler Studios and Payus Productions, said those ideas could help offset higher costs.
“Running a manufacturing company requires capital and this type of loan can be a game changer to expand operations, buy better equipment and expand our reach,” he said. generous Georgia tax incentives It helped make Atlanta a production hotbed for companies like Disney and Netflix.
Still, he said, “I’m keeping my options open right now” as to which candidate to vote for.
“While the campaign has made strides in highlighting issues that specifically affect Black communities, sometimes Black men can be overlooked in the broader conversation,” he said. “I would like to see more policies aimed at closing these gaps and connecting directly with black people.”
A campaign spokesman said Harris was “focusing on issues prioritized by black voters.” Charlamagne Tha Godjournalist Roland Martin and Shadow room. He also “started” aEconomic Opportunity Tour” in Atlanta this summer highlighting the administration’s economic achievements for Black communities.
said Sharon Cutter, who owns an interior design business in Suwanee Trump’s stance on abortion It helped Harris get the vote, even though he also approves of his economic plans. Catter noted Two high-profile deaths of pregnant women in Georgia after the state’s six-week abortion ban and said a family member nearly died this summer from preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy.
“I wouldn’t vote for Trump if you paid me,” he said. “I have baby grandchildren. I want them to have rights.”
Catter has been concerned about business debt since the pandemic, including a $200,000 federal disaster loan, Harris said. to apply to small businesses and his proposed $50,000 starter tax break “speaks to me.”
“Gwinnett County has grown so much now and now I have competition left, right and center,” Catter said, adding that he hasn’t felt financially comfortable hiring full-time staff for more than a decade.
Many of Atlanta’s name-brand employers are located in Gwinnett, including Waffle House, CarMax and MassMutual. Other big companies like Airbnb, Microsoft and Target have recently expanded in the area, which some community leaders say is contributing to rising rents and congested highways.
“Businesses move to where the population base is, but then the population moves further away,” said Tad Leithead, Gwinnett-area executive director of the Quality Development Council, a Georgia economic development group. “Those commute times, that expansion is a big problem.”
Some workarounds are underway. The Biden-Harris administration allocated 113 million dollars to improve the famous I-285/GA-400 interchangeand Gwinnett residents will also vote ballot measure adding a 1% sales tax to fund public transportation. But how those issues will intersect with national issues at the ballot box is anyone’s guess, Leithead said.
“There’s an old saying that all politics is local,” he said. “A vote for your local county commissioner or mayor may be a more relevant vote in terms of day-to-day impact on your business than a vote at the presidential level.”