The town of Ripon, Wisconsin, famously known as the birthplace of the Republican Party, might seem like an unexpected stop for a Democratic presidential campaign, but on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an event in Ripon, the location of the historic Little White Schoolhouse where the Republican Party was founded in 1854.
Harris was joined by former GOP Representative Liz Cheney, who endorsed her last month. They discussed the origins of the Republican Party and sought to reach out to Republicans and independents who have become disillusioned with her opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“I will always put country over party, and I will be a president for all Americans,” Harris said during a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month, pointing out that over 200 prominent Republicans have endorsed her campaign.
Liz Cheney, alongside her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, are well-known conservatives who have openly stated their intention to vote for Harris, citing concerns that Trump poses a threat to American democracy. Liz Cheney, a vocal critic of Trump, became one of his strongest opponents after the January 6 Capitol attack, voting to impeach him and serving on the House committee investigating the event. Her anti-Trump stance cost her re-election in 2022, where she was defeated by a Trump-backed candidate.
Dick Cheney, in a statement last month, remarked that Trump “can never be trusted with power again,” accusing him of attempting to overturn the 2020 election with lies and violence after the voters had rejected him.
Last month, a star-studded event designed for Harris to amplify her campaign harnessed the influence celebrities are having in shaping the outcome of the highly contested presidential election.
On Thursday, “Unite for America,” hosted by none other than thee Oprah Winfrey brought together thousands of online viewers reinforcing a strategy Harris’s campaign perceives as critical to reach voters in swing states.
The stars came in droves – from Chris Rock to Ben Stiller to Jennifer Lopez to Tracee Ellis Ross and Meryl Streep, the event was nothing short of spectacular as each celebrity attended one-by-one with force to push for a Harris win.
The 90-minute forum included a sit-down interview with Winfrey and Harris, who both connected with audiences as they shared personal moments about their views and experiences of America.
Of the issues, Harris spoke in more detail than before about the impact of illegal immigration, a critical concern for voters and a weak spot in her campaign. She highlighted the severe consequences of fentanyl trafficking, the strain on border patrol agents, and the limited resources available to prosecute transnational criminal organizations. She also noted that a bill, which Mr. Trump had a hand in blocking in Congress, would have addressed these issues, pledging to revive and sign it into law.
Winfrey is registered as an independent and has never addressed a party convention until last month when she officially endorsed Harris for president at the Democratic National Convention.
Her endorsement is one of the most influential a presidential candidate can receive. Her first endorsement was in 2007 when the media mogul endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama. He would be elected president a year later.
“We love having you here, but the rah-rah moment is going to end, and then we need to get to work,” Winfrey told the crowd.
