A crowd of more than 4,000 gathered to support Kamala Harris at her Wilkes-Barre rally on Sept. 13.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown first greeted the crowd.
“I’m so excited to be here, with everyone today. To not only welcome, but enthusiastically support a candidate who has always put people over politics,” he said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro took the stage after Brown. The crowd erupted in cheers when Shapiro spoke about his support for Harris over her opponent, former president Donald Trump. Shaprio stated “Kamala Harris brings strength and stability, Donald Trump brings a whole lot of chaos.”
Sen. Bob Casey also made an appearance, touching on Harris’ time in the Senate, as a prosecutor and as vice president. Casey believes she has proven on day one she is ready for this responsibility.
Harris was greeted with loud cheers when she took the stage, greeting the crowd herself with “We got some business to handle.”
Harris spoke about her recent debate with Trump
“That night I talked about issues that matter to families across America like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America’s small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom and keeping our nation safe and secure. But that is not what we heard from Donald Trump,” she said. “Instead, it was the same old show, the same tired playbook we’ve heard for years, with no plan, no plan on how he would address the needs of the American people. Well folks, it’s time to turn the page.”
Harris spoke on healthcare, reproductive rights and the economy. She expressed her plans for what she calls an “opportunity economy.”
“People sometimes just need the opportunity because we as Americans do not lack ambition, for aspiration, for dreams, for the preparedness to do hard work, but not everyone has the opportunity because not everyone has the access,” she said. “When I talk about building an opportunity economy it is grounded in that foundational belief, that when given an opportunity people excel everyday,”
Harris ended the night with “So, Pennsylvania today I ask you, are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight: We win!”
The crowd replied “We win” along with Harris.
Amber Viola, a Marywood alumna, said, “I really wanted for my daughter to see the first female VP. For me, it was a dream come true to see a woman of color on that stage.”
The event lasted around an hour and a half and other than a few protestors went smoothly.
“I thought the event was great! She talked for the perfect amount of time, and the vibe was awesome. There were cool lights, great music. Overall excellent event and a good morale booster.” said Nori Zaccheo, a Wilkes University student.
If you are not yet registered to vote, the registration deadline is Oct. 24. You can visit https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx to register online.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
