Washington: US presidential hopeful Kamala Harris is rallying in Georgia on Tuesday, aiming to expand the Democrats' battleground map against Donald Trump and appeal to young Black voters with an appearance by hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion.

Vice President Harris's trip to Atlanta comes as reenergized Democrats consider the swing state to be competitive again. This change in outlook follows President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 election, which previously made the state seem out of reach.

With the White House race now in flux, Harris, 59, released her first television ad since replacing Biden, while the Trump camp launched a competing ad attacking her on immigration.

"We do view Georgia as very competitive," Harris campaign battleground states director Dan Kanninen said during a call with reporters on Monday. "It's clear the vice president is energizing and mobilizing our base."

In a sign of the fierce battle ahead, Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance announced their own rally in Atlanta on Saturday. "Kamala Harris and her complicit cronies have made the great people of Georgia pay a hefty price for their woke policies," the Trump campaign stated on Tuesday.

Harris inherited a challenging electoral map from Biden, with Democratic hopes focused on the three "rustbelt" post-industrial states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. However, her campaign is now hopeful about other "sunbelt" states like Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, which Democrats narrowly won in the 2020 election.

To attract younger voters, Megan Thee Stallion will join Harris. The rapper posted on Instagram, "ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW," along with a picture of herself and the word "Kamala."

Harris's first campaign ad highlights her as a "fearless" candidate, emphasizing her record as a former prosecutor and criticizing Trump for wanting to "take the country backwards." In contrast, Trump's new ad targets Harris as "failed, weak, dangerously liberal" for not stopping illegal immigration.

Harris acknowledged that Democrats are the "underdogs" in the race. The challenge is whether she, despite historically low approval ratings but recent improvement as a candidate, can maintain momentum until November.

Republican vice presidential candidate Vance, who has faced difficulties amid reports of party dissatisfaction, admitted that Harris's sudden entry was a "sucker punch." The race had seemed set between former president Trump, 78, and incumbent Biden, 81, but Biden's withdrawal due to age concerns leaves Trump as the oldest candidate in US history.

Vance told donors at a weekend fundraiser that "all of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch," according to the Washington Post.

Harris is expected to announce her pick for vice presidential candidate later this week, with Democrats focusing on Vance as a potential weak spot. The "Hillbilly Elegy" author's popularity has recently declined due to damaging old videos, including one where he disparaged prominent Democratic women as "childless cat ladies."