On the Ground With Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania

An inside view of one of Kamala Harris's final rallies before Election Day.

Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she walks off the stage during a rally at Muhlenberg College Memorial Hall. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.

Happy Election Day!

Tonight at 8pm ET,

Jay Kuo

and I will be liveblogging results so look for an email later tonight with the link! Look forward to chatting with you then.

But in the meantime, you likely saw that Kamala Harris made her final campaign appearances yesterday in the state most observers view as the most important of the election: Pennsylvania.

While she finished the night with massive rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Harris began her day at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA and I was proud to be there to cheer her on in person.

I started out walking the line of supporters, not just around one block but around several. Word among the crowd was that the Muhlenberg College Memorial Hall, where the event was to be held, had a capacity of 3,000 or so, and the neverending line of supporters seemed like far too many to fit.

As Gabe Gutierrez documented on X:

And sure enough, not only was the main gym at capacity, but so was the overflow room and hundreds of supporters were unfortunately turned away. I was so glad to have made it in.

The enthusiasm for Harris was off the charts.

Once inside the main gym, I saw that both sides were packed with people, as well as the floor in front of the stage. Songs like “God Is A Woman” by Ariana Grande and “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé were playing. The crowd would occasionally break into impromptu chants of “We’re Not Going Back!” and “When we fight! We Win!”

They understood the assignment. 

The Latino Vote

The initial event announcement listed the top-billed rally guests as salsa singer Frankie Negrón and rapper Fat Joe, both of Puerto Rican descent. It was clear that a primary goal of the rally was to turn out the Latino vote in Allentown by reminding voters of Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

Why Allentown?

Ever since 2020, Hispanics have made up 54% of the population of Allentown. And in 2021, Matthew Tuerk, the grandson of a Cuban immigrant, became the city’s first Latino Mayor.

Tuerk took the stage addressing the crowd: “Hola mi gente!” (Hello my people!)

He railed against Trump’s MSG rally and then, noting the giant Puerto Rican flag in the audience, declared 

“Mi gente, Boricuas. We’re not going back!”

Yes, the flag was enormous.

It was a powerful moment, one echoed by rapper Fat Joe, a Bronx native, also of Puerto Rican descent.

Fat Joe immediately addressed the crowd: “Yo soy Boricua!” and then demanded of Latino voters who are either supporting Trump or undecided:

“Where is your pride? What are we doing here? He blocked the aid!

It broke my heart when he said our Haitian brothers and sisters eat their pets! Where is your pride?”

You can watch part of his speech here:

The final speaker before the Vice President came out was Elizabeth Strong, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs representing Allentown. 

A life-long Pennsylvanian of English, Irish, and Puerto Rican descent, Strong asked the crowd:

“Listo? Are you ready for a president who will unite us? Are you ready for a president who will take us forward?

But Kamala can not do this alone. She is the underdog in this election and she needs every single one of us to vote tomorrow. Mañana! Mañana! Make a plan to vote at iwillvote.com.

She went on:

Are you ready to elect Vice President Kamala Harris? Someone who will be President for all Americans, including Puerto Ricans?!

The message was clear.

A President For All

Kamala Harris came out to a roar of the crowd as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” blared throughout the gym.

And as Elizabeth’s final line foreshadowed—as did the huge banner behind the stage—VP Harris used this rally, and her entire Election eve Pennsylvania tour, to reinforce her positive closing message of the campaign, notably, not once saying Donald Trump’s name.

Instead, Harris made a pointed contrast, noting that while Donald Trump would enter the White House with an enemies list, Vice President Harris would enter it with a To-Do List to make lives better for all of us.

As Mayor Tuerk said in his remarks, everyone in that gym would be on Trump’s enemies list. But the good news is that they are also on Kamala’s To-do list, and it’s our job to make sure it’s VP Harris who sits in the Oval Office next January.

Harris asked Pennsylvanians for their vote, drawing the starkest contrast with Donald Trump without the need to utter his name:

“I am not looking to score political points, I am looking to make progress.

And I pledge to you, I will listen to people who disagree with me…

I am not going to be a leader who thinks that people who disagree with me should be put in jail, that they are the enemy, I’ll give them a seat at the table.

Because that’s what real leaders do and that’s what strong leaders do. And it is my pledge to you to always put country and party above self and to be a President for all Americans.”

You can watch the entire rally below:

Now it’s our turn, by the end of voting today, to get out and elect Kamala Harris President!

And look for an email this evening for where to join us for the live blog! Let’s do this!