Jimmy Carter Is Trying to Stay Alive Long Enough to Vote for Kamala Harris
Former president Jimmy Carter is less than two months away from becoming a centenarian, and heās hoping to make it to 100 so he can voteĀ Kamala HarrisĀ for president. Carterās much-anticipated birthday is October 1, just two weeks before his home state, Georgia, opens early voting for the 2024 general election.
āIām only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,ā Carter told his son Chip, according to reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy and former state senator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, told the outlet about the conversation, noting that his grandfather has been āmore alert and interested in politics and the war in Gazaā in recent days.
Carter, the nationās 39th president, has been in hospice care since February of 2023. And last August, he and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter shared that they were entering their āfinal chapterā together. A few months later, in November, Rosalynn passed away at the age of 96.
In addition to voting, Carter plans to celebrate his birthday early in September with a music-filled night at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Carter will be honored by a wide range of artists, including Chuck Leavell, D-Nice, Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, Maren Morris, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus, per Associated Press.
āWhether it was on his record players, on the campaign trail, or on the White House lawn,ā Jason said in a statement about the celebration, āmusic has been and continues to be a source of joy, comfort and inspiration for my grandfather.ā
Throughout Jimmy Carterās health complications, heās remained remarkably active in politics.
During the summer protests of 2020, Carter released a statement condemning āracial injustices,ā adding, āPeople of power, privilege, and moral conscience must stand up and say āno moreā to a racially discriminatory police and justice system.ā Later that year, he and Rosalynn endorsed Joe Biden for president during a pre-recorded speech at the Democratic National Convention. (In 2019 he said that there ought to be an age limit for presidents and that at 80 years old, he didnāt think he could āundertake the duties that I experienced when I was president.ā)
In May, according to his family, Carter voted in Georgiaās primary. āHeās not going to miss an election,ā his grandson said. āItās important to him. I mean, thatās the person he is.ā
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