The Final Rally
Kamala Harris held her final rally in Philadelphia at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Monday, Nov. 4, with star-studded celebrity endorsements from the likes of Oprah to Lady Gaga and a message of unity and putting country over party. Philadelphia has been one of the heavily campaigned states in this election by both candidates, being a major milestone of success in the electoral college. Donald Trump finished his campaign with a rally in North Carolina, before traveling to Reading and Pittsburgh in Philadelphia, and a final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan to close out his campaign.
Rally attendees began gathering hours before the doors opened around 4 p.m., with the gates and security at 22nd Street and the line stretching back to Logan Square, with a crowd that reached 30,000 people. A small group of Party for Socialism and Liberation protesters arrived outside a side entrance protesting the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the war in Gaza and calling Harris’s response genocidal, with signs that said “No votes for Genocide.”
Cassidy Durango Milton Willy Podell, known as DJ Cassidy, acted as master of ceremonies, introducing the guest speakers throughout the night and playing music to keep the crowd energized. Ricky Martin; the Roots; will.i.am, former member of the Black Eyed Peas; and Lady Gaga performed during the night. Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker opened the event by emphasizing the importance of winning Pennsylvania to secure the White House. She went on to state, “The eyes of the world are on our great Commonwealth and on our great city of Philadelphia. This is the birthplace of democracy.” Then, Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey delivered a speech that roused the crowd, stating, “All the work that's being done, all the doors being knocked on -- it's because of your work. And we appreciate that commitment to our country at this critical time."
Throughout the night, the Philadelphia rally would virtually display other Harris rally speakers and performers from across the United States, live on stage. Notable speakers included Harris’ runningmate Tim Walz, who spoke from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He thanked the crowd for their support, stating, “You showed up here tonight because you love America. Thank you.” He emphasized the importance of the election and how its impact will shape the future of America in a new way under the leadership of Harris.
“What an incredible journey the last 107 days have been. Look at the movement Kamala has built in that short amount of time. Now imagine what she will do in four years,” Walz stated, reflecting on the campaign before the crowd erupted in cheers. He then went on to stress how Harris is here to serve and stand up for the people of America, and work across party lines.
Ending his speech, Mr. Walz emphasized the idea that “we are not going back” before asking the crowd, “they are going to wonder, what did you do during that election when you protected the American experiment? When the rule of law held? When the Constitution was the law of the land? When dictators and division and darkness were thrown out, and unity and hope, and a new way forward are in?” He answered his own question by stating, “Every damn thing I could,” which the crowd responded to with cheers and applause. Walz called on voters with, “Wisconsin, win this thing for America.”
Some people in the crowd began to voice frustrations at Harris’ late arrival, many standing in place for hours to keep their view of the vice president, with at least one person collapsing in the crowd before she took the stage. Some left early, dismayed by the presidential candidate’s delay.
The Governor of Philadelphia, Josh Shapiro, took to the stage announcing he was there to “advance the cause of real freedom and to get shit done.” He promised that Harris would fight for the crowd’s rights and freedom, drawing on Philadelphia’s history of being the first state in the Revolutionary War to declare independence and fight for America's freedom. Gov. Shapiro spoke on America’s history of rising up for justice and progress, calling on Americans to continue that fight by voting for Harris.
After Shapiro spoke, Fat Joe, a Latino rapper, spoke to the audience because he “heard that they needed a Puerto Rican in Philly and was so happy to come out here and represent Puerto Ricans.” Fat Joe said, “it's all about pride.” He talked about the times when Trump belittled the Latino population and their pride. He spoke about when Trump called Mexicans “rapists and drug dealers,” “threw paper towels as if they were basketballs” to Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria, and “told my Haitian brothers and sisters that they eat cats and dogs.”
Oprah was the final speaker before Harris. She was joined on stage by 10 first-time youth voters from Philadelphia. Speaking to Phoenix, one of the first-time voters, Oprah asked what led her to vote for Harris. Phoenix answered by stating, “Women's reproductive rights and education equality are what led me to cast my ballot for her.” Another first-time voter, Eddie, spoke on his reasons for voting for Harris, citing that as an African American, it was an honor to exercise his right to vote which his ancestors fought for. He felt he had an opportunity to be a leader and do what’s right. He ended his statement by saying “Go Kamala,” raising his fist in the air.
Oprah thanked the crowd for showing up and encouraged the crowd to go vote. She referred to the famous John F. Kennedy quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This brought her to call on the crowd to vote for Harris to fight abortion bans, and for civil rights. Speaking to people who decided not to vote, she stated, “We do not get to sit this one out. If we do not show up tomorrow, it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again.” Oprah later went on to state, “We are voting for healing over hate.”
Oprah then introduced Vice President Harris as they walked on stage together, and the song Freedom by Beyoncé played with lyrics “Freedom, Freedom, I can’t lose.” The speech began around 11 p.m., when Harris hyped the crowd up asking, “Are we ready to vote? Are we ready to win?” In front of the famous museum steps, she illuded herself as an underdog and drew on the symbolism of the movie “Rocky,” before dubbing this election the most consequential of our lifetimes and calling for a new generation of leadership in America, namely herself.
Harris called on the crowd to help finish the race strong, and stated, “This could be one of the closest races in history. Every single vote matters.” She spoke on the importance of having your voice heard and encouraged dialogs with other voters to express why they are supporting her, expressing that Pennsylvania will determine the election. She emphasized there is still hard work to be done in the next 24 hours, but stated, “We will win,” spurring the crowd to chant the phrase back. She went on to speak about how the last decade of politics has been driven by fear and division, and how America is ready for a fresh start in which “we see our fellow Americans not as an enemy but as a neighbor,” promising to listen to her opposition and even give them a seat at the table.
Promising to keep fighting for Americans’ rights, Harris stated she plans to look at the list of the people’s needs that aren’t stewing on lists of her opponents, including cutting the cost of living, banning corporate price-gouging on groceries, making housing and childcare more affordable, cutting taxes for workers and small business, fighting gun violence, protecting reproductive rights, and lowering health care costs. She made a promise to “put country over party.” Addressing the crowd and repeating a popular campaign slogan, Harris ended her speech by stating, “When we fight, we win.” She held her hand high before embracing her husband Douglas Emhoff, turning to the crowd waving, and basking in the cheers of her 30,000 supporters as she walked offstage.
Abigail Valery, a first-time voter and college student from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, spoke on her excitement about voting for Harris and what it meant to be voting for a Black woman president, stating that people “have voted for different people in all these different elections, and this one is just really powerful, because we have a really strong contender, and Kamala Harris, I'm really happy about it.” When asked for her experience of what the rally was like, Valery stated, “I just feel so empowered just being at this rally and being able to be around like-minded people. It just feels so awesome being able to be connected to different people, like, from around here, from different places who are voting in this election.”
When asked what she was thinking about, going into election day, Ms. Valery stated, “I'm a little scared to go to the polls for the first time. I'm a little anxious, but I'm hopeful for a Kamala win. I'm hopeful for the future of freedom for women, freedom for people of color, freedom for everyone. So that's what I'm hopeful for. I'm going in there. I'm going to put in my votes. I'm voting blue all the way, so I'm excited, and I'm ready to vote.”
Tired campaign staffers, many of which who have constantly been traveling from state to state door-knocking, handed out the last of their Kamala Harris signs as the crowd left, with messages like, “We Choose Freedom,” “Republicans for Kamala,” and “Harris for President.” When asked for their final thoughts going into the election and how the work they contributed going into the election made them feel, they expressed a sense of fulfillment from the exhaustive work they completed, with hope held strong for a Harris victory. The weekend leading into the election, 90,000 volunteers had knocked on three million doors in battleground states.