WASHINGTON – Kamala Harris said Sunday that “no one can sit on the sidelines” in this year's presidential election, capping a day of campaigning across the largest city in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania.
“We are focused on the future and we are focused on the needs of the American people," Harris said, "as opposed to Donald Trump, who spends full time looking in the mirror focused on himself.”
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Speaking at a city recreation center, the Democratic vice president singled out young voters, praising them for being “rightly impatient for change," and told the audience that “there is too much at stake” in the campaign.
“We must not wake up the day after the election and have any regret about what we could have done in these next nine days," Harris said.
Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle, two actors who starred in Marvel's “Avengers” movies, were at the rally. Harris reminded the crowd that Pennsylvania's deadline for early voting is Tuesday, telling them to “get it done tomorrow if you can.”
Energizing voters in Philadelphia, a traditional Democratic stronghold, is crucial for Harris’ chances of beating Republican nominee Donald Trump. If turnout falls short here, she’ll struggle to overcome Trump’s advantages in Pennsylvania’s rural areas.
“Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory,” Harris told reporters. “It’s the reason I have been spending time here. But I’m feeling very optimistic about the enthusiasm.”
Kenny Payne, 62, said Harris is going to win and “it won’t be close.” The Democratic voter said he plays golf with a group of Republicans who say they won’t vote for Trump again.
“I think we’ll all be in bed by midnight,” he said outside the recreation center where Harris spoke.
Patrick Boe, 46, said he was confident about the city's enthusiasm for Harris, but he acknowledged that his view may be skewed.
“I’m in a bubble here,” Boe said.
Randyll Butler, a youth basketball coach who introduced Harris, said the election was in the “fourth quarter.”
“We cannot get tired," she said. "We cannot get complacent.”
The Democratic coalition relies on voters of color, and Harris’ itinerary on Sunday reflected that focus. She began the day with the Black congregation at the Church of Christian Compassion, where she said the United States is “determined to turn the page on hatred and division.”
Harris drew on the story of the Apostle Paul, who overcame difficulties to spread the word of Jesus.
“In hard times when we may grow weary in doing good, we must remember the power that works within us, the divine power that transformed Paul’s life, guided him through shipwreck and sustained him through trials,” Harris said.
W. Lonnie Herndon, the church’s senior pastor, introduced Harris as “the voice of the future” and followed her remarks with a sermon about compassion and how “strong people never put others down, they lift them up.”
“We are going to get out and vote,” he said as Harris listened from her seat in the front row. “And let me be crystal clear. We are not electing a pastor. We are electing a president that will deal with these divided United States, bring us back together.”
Her next stop was Philly Cuts, a barbershop in West Philadelphia. Pennsylvania state Rep. Jordan Harris moderated a conversation with Harris and Black men about improving racial representation in education. A poster of Barack Obama, the first Black president, was on the wall.
“We don’t pay teachers enough,” said Harris, who would be the second Black president and the first female president, if elected. “ Student loan debt is an issue.”
Outside the shop, people stood on stoops and lined the sidewalks in hopes of catching a glimpse of Harris. “The MVP of the White House!” someone shouted.
Harris visited nearby Hakim’s Bookstore, which specializes in African American history.
“It’s beautiful. It’s just so beautiful,” she said and asked to see good books for 6- and 8-year-old children, the same ages as her nieces.
Harris joked about her weight with Ann Hughes, the mother of Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes.
“They’re working me to the bone,” she said.
After leaving the bookstore, Harris headed to a Puerto Rican restaurant named Freddy and Tony’s, where she thanked volunteers and told them “we are going to win.”
She also met with youth basketball players at the Alan Horowitz “Sixth Man” Center. The coach said the players are “student first, athlete second.” Harris told them to “think of your brain as a muscle and when you exercise it, it gets stronger.”
Harris has tried to keep the focus on abortion rights in the closing stretch of the campaign, including during appearances with Beyoncé and Michelle Obama. In an interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, Harris declined to say whether she would support any restrictions on abortion, emphasizing the need to restore Roe v. Wade.
“It is that basic,” Harris said.
The nationwide right to abortion was overturned two years ago by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court that included three justices nominated by Trump while president.
“My first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country,” Harris said.
She also brushed off Trump’s claim that he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected. “He says everything, come on,” Harris said. “Are we really taking his word for it?”
Harris and Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor who is her running mate, are expected to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days, part of a final blitz before the election.
While Harris was in Philadelphia on Sunday, Walz was campaigning in Las Vegas. On Monday, Walz will visit Manitowoc and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before joining Harris for a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the singer Maggie Rogers is scheduled to perform.
Harris will be in the nation's capital on Tuesday to deliver what her campaign calls her “closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space near the White House. It's the same place where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Republican called on his supporters to march on the Capitol.
More campaign stops are scheduled in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.
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Megerian reported from Washington.