Kamala Harris draws huge crowds in first campaign tour

Big crowds, applause lines, and some Republican counterprogramming marked the first major campaign swing for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as they toured five battleground states this past week.

Starting with a lively rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, just hours after Harris announced Walz as her running mate, they moved on to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada. Planned stops in Georgia and North Carolina were cancelled due to Tropical Storm Debby.

The tour aimed to introduce the candidates to voters, particularly independents and undecideds in states where Democrats face tight races against Republican nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. It also helped Harris and Walz get to know each other better.

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.@Tim_Walz and I kicked off our first week on the campaign trail as running mates—and, in just five days, we visited Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada.

Over the next 86 days, we hope to see you all out on the trail. pic.twitter.com/jeWqgzgJJF

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2024

During the tour, thousands flocked to Harris’ rallies, showing renewed enthusiasm among Democrats who were previously unenthused about President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. Harris, the first Black woman and person of Asian descent to be a major party’s nominee for president, drew significant crowds. In Philadelphia and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 12,000 people attended her rallies, while in the Detroit area and Glendale, Arizona, the turnout was 15,000. In Las Vegas, more than 12,000 people were inside a university arena when admissions were halted due to people falling ill in the 109-degree heat, with 4,000 still in line.

Lance Jones, a Tucson native at the Arizona rally, felt the momentum had shifted with Harris and Walz, predicting Arizona could turn from red to blue.

Trump, who regularly attracts large crowds, expressed his annoyance at Harris’ crowd sizes at a news conference, dismissing her appeal.

Vance attempted to shadow Harris and Walz during their tour, making appearances in Philadelphia and Detroit before the Democrats arrived. In Eau Claire on Wednesday, Vance even approached Air Force Two after landing around the same time as the Democrats, later joking about it.

Harris and Walz delivered similar speeches at each rally, focusing on personal biographies but tailoring remarks to each state. In Michigan, Harris highlighted organised labour, while in Arizona and Nevada, she spoke about her background prosecuting transnational gangs and smugglers. In Las Vegas, she promised to work on eliminating federal taxes on tips for service industry employees, an idea Trump had previously mentioned.

Harris ended her rallies by asking what kind of country people wanted to live in and rallying them to action, declaring, “When we fight, we win.”

Walz, less known outside the Midwest, shared his personal story of serving in the Army National Guard, being a high school teacher, football coach, congressman, and governor. He also spoke about his and his wife’s struggle with in vitro fertilisation before having their daughter.

Both candidates had lines that resonated with the crowd. Harris often said, “I know Donald Trump’s type,” referencing her prosecutorial background. Walz emphasised the Midwest approach to personal decisions, saying, “Mind your own damn business,” and urged audiences to give their all for the campaign.

Walz introduced the term “weird” to describe Trump and Vance’s policies, which Harris adopted. He also credited Harris with bringing back joy to politics, referring to them as “joyful warriors.”

At several rallies, crowds chanted “lock him up” aimed at Trump, echoing the chants from Trump’s 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton. Harris would respond by urging patience with the courts and focusing on beating Trump in November.

Protesters critical of the administration’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict interrupted some rallies. In Arizona, Harris acknowledged them but redirected the focus to the 2024 race.

Walz consistently reminded crowds of the countdown to Election Day on Nov. 5, although he misstated the number of days left by one in Phoenix. At an airport in Wisconsin, Girl Scouts greeted Harris, possibly chatting about summer plans, and she mentioned planning to go somewhere in 90 days.

Harris had one final stop on Sunday in San Francisco to raise campaign funds, joined by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The campaign reported raising over $12 million at the event, where Pelosi expressed her wish for democracy to win on Election Day, and Harris reiterated, “We do not have a day to waste.”