A roaring crowd of battleground state voters greeted Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday as she opened her Democratic political case against Republican former President Donald Trump. In the November election, she said, “it’s a choice between freedom and chaos.”
“In this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week,” Harris declared. “We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
Harris arrived in the Milwaukee area having secured nomination support from Democratic delegates after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid on Sunday. This rally marked her first campaign event since she launched her campaign just two days ago with Biden’s endorsement.
The event reflected a vibrancy that had been lacking among Democrats in recent weeks, evidenced by $100 million in donations since Sunday afternoon. Harris looks to project a sense of steady confidence about the November election. The vice president has also garnered backing from Democratic officials and political groups, including congressional leaders Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
By stopping in Wisconsin, Harris targeted one of the “blue wall” states, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, which Democrats see as essential for securing a presidential victory. The visit comes a week after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in the city and as Harris works to sharpen her message against the GOP nominee with just over 100 days until Election Day.
Harris’ trip to the state contrasted sharply with Biden’s July 6 visit, during which he attempted to reassure Democrats wary of his continued candidacy following his troubling performance in the June 27 debate against Trump. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection this year, skipped the Biden event but spoke before Harris on Tuesday.
Harris leaned into her resume as a former district attorney and California attorney general, seeking to draw a contrast with Trump, the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. She stated at the rally that, as a prosecutor, she had dealt with fraudsters and cheaters, concluding that she knows the type of person Trump is.
“She’s prepared to meet this moment because she was professionally trained to prosecute a criminal, and unfortunately, that’s who the Republicans have put forward,” said Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif.
Harris’ swift ascent over the past few days has required her to vet possible running mates, a process being led by Eric Holder, who served as attorney general during Barack Obama’s presidency. Her key impact so far has been galvanizing Democrats.
Before the Tuesday speech, Diane Walter, 68, of South Milwaukee, said she’s thrilled that Harris is the candidate. “I’ve been a Democrat my whole life,” Walter said. “She’s energizing the party again.”
Tevin Humphrey, 21, who attended the rally with his mother, Myeesha Johnson, 41, described the vice president as “a great figure to look up to.” “She’s a better representative of the diversity we’re looking for,” he added.
By Monday night, Harris, who also ran for president in 2020, had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win on a first ballot, according to the AP tally of delegates. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP. However, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee, as convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago.
Trump and his campaign have quickly turned most of their focus on Harris, asserting that they were prepared for the change and that it did not alter their plans. The former president has nicknamed the vice president “Lyin’ Kamala Harris,” accused her of not being tough enough on crime as a prosecutor, and sought to bind her to the administration’s policies on the border as he seeks to make immigration a focal point of his campaign.
There are signs that Trump seems uneasy about facing the younger vice president rather than making his case against the aging president. Twice since Biden dropped out, Trump has suggested moving the planned second presidential debate from ABC News to Fox News, which is perceived as being more favorable to him.
Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was unimpressed by Trump’s attacks, telling reporters Tuesday, “That’s all he’s got?”
Harris was joined by major elected officials in Wisconsin, including Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, as well as state labor leaders. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Republican leaders are branding Harris as an “extreme liberal” out of step with most voters in the swing state.
“Kamala Harris’ favorables are as bad as Joe Biden’s,” said Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming at a news conference ahead of the Harris event. “So they are exchanging one bad candidate for another bad candidate in the hope that the people of this state and this country don’t notice where she actually stands on the issues.”
