Kamala Harris insisted she has the momentum and will “win” the presidential race as her rival Donald Trump sold out Madison Square Garden for a massive rally of her loyalists.
The Democratic candidate spent a low-key day in Philadelphia, courting young and minority voters. He visited a church, a barbershop, and an African-American bookstore. And then he stopped by a Puerto Rican restaurant.
Harris, who previously cast herself as the underdog, shifted to a new tone and said she can win the presidential race.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but make no mistake: we will win,” he told a crowd of 3,000 at a community center.
“We will win because if you know what you stand for, you will know what to fight for.”
Polls show the presidential race is essentially tied, meaning each campaign must make sure to get as many voters as possible on November 5.
Kamala Harris spent Sunday campaigning in Philadelphia
While Harris was rallying voters in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, Trump was in New York, a strong Democratic stronghold, to speak to a gathering of 20,000 strong MAGA fans.
In Pennsylvania, Trump leads the average polls in the state, but only by one point, so he is within the margin of error.
The state could decide the presidential election with its 19 electoral votes. In addition to making multiple campaign stops, Harris’ campaign released a new ad called “Philadelphia Against Trump.”
The ad reminds voters of the negative comments the former president has made about the city. The ad will run during Sunday’s football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals, which means it will get good coverage.
But Harris focused her time in the city, a largely Democratic stronghold, on appealing to minority voters and Generation Z, reminding them to use their voices on Election Day.
“Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory, and it’s the reason I spend time here,” Harris told reporters. “But I feel very optimistic about the enthusiasm here and the commitment of people from all backgrounds.”
At his rally, he reminded young voters that the choice is theirs on Election Day.
“We have the ability to turn the page on that same old, tired vendetta,” Harris said. “We are ready to chart a new path forward.”
“We are a new generation of optimistic and enthusiastic leaders,” he said.
“The best thing about living in a democracy, as long as we maintain it, is that we, the people, have the power to choose our direction,” Harris said.
Donald Trump played sold out Madison Square Garden on Sunday
Kamala Harris met with elementary school students at a community campaign event at the Alan Horwitz ‘Sixth Man’ Center, a youth basketball facility, in Philadelphia.
Kamala Harris sat in the ‘lucky chair’ at a barbershop in Philadelphia
Harris’ 15-minute speech was interrupted twice: by a medical emergency and by a protester.
Shortly after she started speaking, someone in the back fainted. Harris paused to allow medical professionals to reach the person.
‘That’s what we do. We take care of each other,’ he said.
A few minutes later she was interrupted by a Gaza protester. The crowd responded in chats of: ‘We’re not coming back!’
Harris said she is committed to ending this war and bringing the hostages home; then he returned to his speech.
The vice president did not focus her fire on Trump during her remarks. He left that to his substitutes.
On Sunday, his running mate Tim Walz compared Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden to the Nazi party’s rally at the same location in 1939.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Nevada, Walz said: “Donald Trump has this big rally at Madison Square Garden.” There is a direct parallel to a large demonstration that took place in the 1930s at Madison Square Garden.
And Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, said Trump is “falling apart.”
“The other side is simply trying to cover up all this noise, deception and misinformation,” the second gentleman said during a campaign stop in Atlanta.
He then turned his fire on Trump: “Look at him.” It’s falling apart. …. Just listen to what he says.’
Emhoff also blamed Trump for the “freezing of free speech” when major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, decide not to endorse a presidential candidate.
“People in the media are afraid to do anything because there is a chilling effect,” he said. “We can’t live like this.”
Meanwhile, Harris had an eventful day in Philadelphia, talking non-stop to voters, giving them hugs and chatting.
Their goal was to increase voter turnout nine days before the election.
At Philly Cuts in West Philadelphia, Harris sat in a chair that has been a touchstone of good luck for political candidates.
The barbers told him that every candidate for elected office who has ever sat in the chair has won their election.
Harris also visited a bookstore that had books about Africa, civil rights icons and slavery on the shelves.
He asked for book recommendations for an 8- and 6-year-old, the ages of his great-nieces.
“Victory runs through Philadelphia,” Harris reminded people at the stop. “Crosses Pennsylvania.”
Kamala Harris hugs a baby at Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, a locally owned Puerto Rican restaurant in Philadelphia
Kamala Harris takes a selfie with John Legend before her Philadelphia rally
He also told a person who was there: ‘I plan to gain a few kilos when this is over. They are working me to the bone.
And at his stop in a Puerto Rican working-class neighborhood, at a restaurant called Freddy and Tony’s Restaurant, he got the message across.
“Nine days and hard work is good work, as we know, and we are winning,” he said.
