Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign with a rally in Wisconsin, acknowledging that voters are faced with a choice between “chaos” and “compassion”.
Addressing a packed gymnasium at West Allis Central High School near Milwaukee on Tuesday, Harris outlined her vision for America and highlighted the critical importance of the upcoming election.
“Ultimately in this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” Harris declared to an enthusiastic crowd. “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?”
Her remarks came just two days after she effectively replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Biden, 81, dropped out of the race amid concerns about his age and endorsed Harris, making her the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Harris’ first campaign stop in the battleground state of Wisconsin underscored the strategic significance of the state, which she must win to secure victory in November.
Biden narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, a pivotal achievement after Donald Trump carried the state in 2016.
Drawing a sharp contrast with Trump, the first former president to be convicted on felony charges, Harris invoked her background as California’s attorney general and San Francisco district attorney.
“In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” she said, eliciting chants of “Lock him up” from the audience. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”
Harris outlined key campaign issues such as abortion rights, affordable health care, and workers’ freedom to organize.
She also praised Biden’s legacy and stressed her commitment to building up the middle class, which she called “a defining goal for my presidency.”
The decision to begin her campaign in Wisconsin was a calculated move, given the state’s crucial role in the 2024 election.
Marquette University political science professor Julia Azari noted that this decision was a “direct response to any of the inevitable comparisons with the Hillary Clinton campaign,” highlighting Clinton’s absence from Wisconsin after the 2016 primary election.
As Harris continues her campaign, she will rely on support from Wisconsin’s Democratic delegates, 93% of whom have pledged to back her at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
This support solidified on Monday, with Harris securing enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee.
Local Republican leaders, however, downplayed the shift from Biden to Harris, framing her as “Joe Biden the sequel.” They argued that Harris is inextricably linked to Biden and labeled her as a radical left figure.
Trump, speaking to reporters as Harris rallied in Wisconsin, echoed these sentiments, describing her as “much more radical” than Biden. “She’s a radical left person, and this country doesn’t want a radical left person today,” he said.
Despite these critiques, Harris’ supporters displayed a renewed energy and excitement. Many attendees, like 29-year-old Emily Fremgen, expressed enthusiasm about Harris’ historic candidacy. “It’s time that it’s a woman and not an old white man making decisions for the country,” Fremgen said.
In her closing remarks, Harris emphasized the critical role Wisconsin will play in the 2024 election. “The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin,” she declared. “And we are counting on you right here in Milwaukee.”
