HARRISBURG — Kamala Harris called for action amongst her supporters Wednesday, rallying Democrats to act with intent in building a community and coalition toward mobilizing voters and winning Tuesday’s presidential election.
Harris rallied her base inside the Giant Expo Hall of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in the commonwealth’s capital city. She promoted a policy agenda to build up the middle class and contrasted her approach with that of her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, who she described as someone aggrieved and motivated only by self-interest and retribution.
“If he is elected, on day one Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemies list. When I am elected I will walk in with a to-do list,” Harris said to an audience fervent in their support.
The Harris-Walz campaign’s Get Out The Vote rally was the second of three the Democratic nominee was scheduled to visit. All three are in battleground states which, like Pennsylvania, are anticipated to decide the winner.
It also followed her Tuesday night “closing argument address” at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., the same site where on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump addressed his own supporters ahead of the attack on the Capitol while Congress attempted to count electoral votes and certify President Joe Biden’s election victory.
The eventual result from Tuesday’s election is expected to be narrow as Harris and Trump are virtually deadlocked in polling.
RealClearPolitics, a political website aggregating election polls, has Trump leading nationally by 0.4%, a slight edge achieved this fall after trailing for weeks once Harris entered the campaign in late July to replace Biden.
In the seven battleground states in this election cycle — Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin — Trump’s lead is 0.9%.
In her roughly 25-minute speech in Harrisburg on Wednesday, Harris didn’t present herself as concerned about the polls. She presented herself as a fighter, one seeking an election victory not only for Democrats but for the country as a whole.
“At the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living, that will be my focus every day,” Harris said, saying she’d work to enact a law making price gouging illegal for groceries.
She reiterated her pledge to institute middle-class tax cuts that she says would benefit 100 million Americans. She said her plan would lower the cost of home care for those caring for elderly parents as well as lower the cost of child care for working families.
She also pledged to cut taxes for small businesses, lower the cost of health care, which she described as “a right and not just a privilege,” and affirm women’s reproductive freedom by signing protections into law.
Harris’ speech was disrupted by smattering jeers from a handful of protestors supportive of Trump. Several times her voice was drowned out by her own supporters who were shouting in scorn. One protestor eventually walked out on his own while another was escorted out.
Harris took a moment to address her critics in the crowd.
“People have a right to be heard but right now I am speaking,” Harris said, bringing one of the loudest cheers during the event.
And, she said she wouldn’t ignore those critics should she win The White House.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy from within,” Harris said, soon after adding, “I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
Harris closed with words that brought the loudest response to a raucous crowd. She encouraged them to vote, knock on doors to rally support and build community and coalition.
“And let us remember that we all have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said. “Remember, your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.”
“I will end by asking you, Pennsylvania, are you ready to make your voices heard?”