On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will host a rally in Pennsylvania to unveil her running mate.
This marks Harris’ inaugural trip to Pennsylvania as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, following her official nomination secured the previous Monday. This visit is notable as her seventh trip to the state this year and the 17th overall since taking office as vice president in 2021.
At the rally, Harris will reveal her running mate, although the identity remains undisclosed. Reports indicate that she has narrowed her options to two contenders: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The Harris campaign boasts heightened enthusiasm in Pennsylvania, highlighting that over 33,000 individuals have signed up to volunteer in the state within just the last 15 days, according to a news release from Jack Doyle, the Pennsylvania communications director. The campaign employs nearly 300 staff members across 36 offices, including strategically located offices in swing counties such as Erie, Luzerne, and Northampton. Furthermore, the campaign is actively making strides in historically Republican regions like Union, Lancaster, and York counties.
ANNOUNCEMENT: VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS HAS OFFICIALLY SECURED THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
Kamala Harris disembarks Air Force Two at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 23, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/Pool)
The campaign asserts that Harris is “barnstorming” Pennsylvania, as former President Trump, her primary rival for November’s election, is “struggling to keep pace.” The campaign notes that Trump’s operations in Pennsylvania “are significantly lacking,” with only three offices established, and indicates that he has failed to connect with key voter segments.
Trump faced an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 but has indicated plans to return for another rally. He previously held a rally in Harrisburg last week.
The vice president aims to highlight the differences between herself and the former president during her visit to Pennsylvania, with her campaign emphasizing that she is “advocating for our freedoms, democracy, and an economy that offers everyone the chance to thrive” while “Trump’s damaging Project 2025 agenda would drag our country backward by implementing a national abortion ban, increasing middle-class costs, and granting Trump near-total authority.”
Project 2025, an initiative backed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, outlines right-wing policy proposals that would be enacted should Trump reclaim the presidency. These include substituting civil service members with Trump loyalists, abolishing the Department of Education, criminalizing pornography, eliminating DEI programs, slashing Medicaid and Medicare funding, rejecting abortion as health care, and suffusing the government with Christian values.
Trump has attempted to disassociate himself from the initiative, labeling it as an authoritarian and Christian nationalist program that could infringe upon civil liberties. He has claimed ignorance regarding the initiative and described portions of it as “absolutely ludicrous and deplorable,” calling its supporters “radical right.”
‘NEVER TRUMPERS’ UNITE BEHIND DEMOCRATIC TICKET IN SUPPORT FOR HARRIS CAMPAIGN
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses attendees during the Women’s Economic Participation in the Industries of the Future session at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week in San Francisco, California, on November 16, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
This presidential election cycle marks the first since the Supreme Court annulled Roe v. Wade, enabling states to formulate their own abortion laws. The Harris campaign references polling which indicates that a majority of Pennsylvania voters support some degree of abortion access.
“Vice President Harris will work to restore women’s autonomy over their own bodies once again,” her campaign stated in a news release. “This contrast will be prominently featured during her time in Pennsylvania.”
The campaign also pointed out that the Trump administration resulted in the loss of over 275,000 jobs in Pennsylvania, including numerous manufacturing positions, and presided over an all-time high in unemployment rates.
According to the campaign, Harris and President Biden inherited an economy that was “devastated” by Trump but have managed to create over half a million jobs in Pennsylvania while capping prescription drug costs for millions of residents reliant on Medicare.
With her background as a former prosecutor in California, Harris’ campaign emphasizes her commitment to community safety and holding dangerous criminals accountable. It was noted that the murder rate in Pennsylvania, particularly in Philadelphia, escalated during the Trump administration, while Harris has “challenged the gun lobby and contributed to a historic decline in violent crime.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the audience during a campaign event at Westover High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 18, 2024. (ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)
“Should Trump secure a second term, he is likely to align himself again with the NRA, facilitating easier access to firearms for convicted felons,” stated the campaign in a press release.
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The campaign also spotlighted the electoral defeats experienced by Trump and his endorsed candidates in Pennsylvania during the 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections. They pointed out Trump’s defeat to Biden in 2020, along with Republican Mehmet Oz’s loss to now-Democratic Senator John Fetterman and Republican Doug Mastriano’s loss to now-Democratic Governor Shapiro in 2022.
“Republicans, too, saw a decline across the board in the Commonwealth as issues surrounding reproductive rights and safeguarding our democracy took precedence for voters,” the Harris campaign noted in the release. “Additionally, moderate Republicans throughout the commonwealth continue to distance themselves from Trump, as evidenced by over 158,000 individuals voting against him in the Pennsylvania Republican primary, occurring nearly two months after Nikki Haley exited the race.”
