Kamala Harris insisted she has the momentum and “will win” the presidential race as rival Donald Trump sold out Madison Square Garden for a massive gathering of his faithful.
The Democratic candidate spent a quiet day in Philadelphia, courting minority and youth voters. She attended an African-American church, barbershop and bookstore. And then she stopped at a Puerto Rican restaurant.
Harris, who previously portrayed herself as the underdog, struck a new tone and said she must win the presidential contest.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but make no mistake, we will win,” she told a cheering crowd of 3,000 people at a community center.
“We will win, because if you know what you stand for, you also know what you have to fight for.”
Polls show the presidential race is essentially even, meaning every campaign needs to get as many voters as possible on November 5.
Kamala Harris campaigned around Philadelphia on Sunday
While Harris rallied voters in the critical state of Pennsylvania, Trump was in New York, a strong Democratic force, addressing a rally of 20,000 strong MAGA fans.
In Pennsylvania, Trump leads in the state’s polling average, but only by one point, so it 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, the Harris campaign released a new ad titled “Philly vs. Trump.”
The ad reminds voters of 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, meaning there’s good coverage.
But Harris focused her time in the city, a majority Democratic stronghold, on appealing to minority voters and Generation Z, reminding them to make their voices heard on Election Day.
“Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory, and it is the reason I am spending time here,” Harris told reporters. “But I’m very optimistic about the enthusiasm here and the commitment of people from all backgrounds.”
During her rally, she reminded young voters that the choice is theirs on Election Day.
“We have the ability to turn the page on the same old tired payback,” Harris said. “We are ready to chart a new path forward.”
“We are a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and enthusiastic,” she noted.
“The beauty of living in a democracy – as long as we keep it – is that we, the people, have the power to choose our direction,” Harris said.
Donald Trump played to a sold-out Madison Square Garden on Sunday
Kamala Harris met with elementary school students at a campaign community event at the Alan Horwitz ‘Sixth Man’ Center, a youth basketball facility in Philadelphia
Kamala Harris was sitting in the “lucky chair” at a barbershop in Philly
Harris’ 15-minute speech was interrupted twice: by a medical emergency and by a protester.
Shortly after she started talking, someone in the back fainted. Harris paused for a moment to allow medical professionals to get to the person.
‘That’s what we do. We look out for each other,” she said.
A few minutes later, she was interrupted by a Gaza protester. The public responded in chats with: ‘We’re not going back!’
Harris said she is determined to end this war and bring the hostages home — and then she walked back her speech.
The vice president did not direct her fire at Trump during her remarks. She left that to her surrogates.
On Sunday, her running mate Tim Walz compared Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden to the Nazi party event at the same location in 1939.
Walz said on the campaign trail in Nevada: “Donald Trump has a big rally going on at Madison Square Garden. There is a direct parallel to a large gathering that took place at Madison Square Garden in the 1930s.
And Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, said Trump is “falling apart.”
“The other side is just trying to stop all this noise, gaslighting and disinformation,” the No. 2 gentleman said during a campaign stop in Atlanta.
He then turned his fire on Trump: “Just look at him. He’s falling apart. …. Just listen to what he says.’
Emhoff also blamed Trump for “chilling free speech” as major news outlets — including the Washington Post and the 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.’
Harris, meanwhile, had a busy day of events in Philadelphia, talking non-stop to voters, giving hugs and making small talk.
Her goal was to increase turnout nine days before the election.
At the Philly Cuts in West Philly, Harris sat down in a chair that was a touchstone of happiness for political candidates.
The hairdressers told her that every candidate who had run for elected office and sat in the seat had won their election.
Harris also visited a bookstore with books about Africa, civil rights icons and slavery on the shelves.
She asked for book recommendations for an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old – the ages of her second cousins.
“Victory runs through Philly,” Harris reminded those at the stop. “It runs through Pennsylvania.”
Kamala Harris hugs a baby at Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, a local Puerto Rican restaurant in Philly
Kamala Harris takes a selfie with John Legend ahead of her rally in Philadelphia
She also told someone there, “I plan on putting on some weight after this is over.” They work me to the bone.’
And at her stop in the working-class Puerto Rican neighborhood, at a restaurant called Freddy and Tony’s Restaurant, she stayed informed.
“Nine days, and hard work is good work, as we know – and we are winning,” she said.
