Kamala Harris makes final campaign stop in Pittsburgh on eve of election

With less than 12 hours before election polls open on November 5, Vice President Kamala Harris ended her 6-month presidential campaign with one last campaign tour stopping in Pittsburgh. 

The rally, which took place at the Blast Furnace Historical Landmark on Monday evening, aimed to energize the Democratic base in Pittsburgh the night before the presidential election. Harris began the day in Scranton before making her way to Allentown and Pittsburgh. She ended the night in Philadelphia. 

“We’ve got one day left to get this done,” Harris said in her speech.

Pennsylvania, arguably the most important state in the presidential election, has the most electoral votes of the seven battleground states in this election cycle. Pennsylvania has also voted with the winning candidate the past four presidential elections. 

Polls currently show Harris and her opponent, former president Donald Trump, as tied in Pennsylvania. Trump also held a rally in Pittsburgh at PPG Arena on Monday to garner campaign support. 

“Polls are open here in PA tomorrow from 7 am to 8 pm,” Harris said. “We need everyone in Pennsylvania to vote because you are going to make the difference in this election.”

The event featured introductory speakers Mayor Ed Gainey, Attorney General candidate Eugene DePasquale and US Senator John Fetterman, as well as musical guests DJ Arie Cole, singer and actress Andra Day and singer Katy Perry. Many of the speakers remarked on the historical significance of the election — if Harris were to win, she would become the first female US president in history. 

“Eight years ago we put 64 million cracks in the glass ceiling. Tomorrow we shatter it when we elect Kamala Harris,” DePasquale said during the opening remarks. 

Will Allison, a Pitt graduate and former president of Pitt College Democrats who now works for the Harris campaign, said he personally feels “very optimistic about the election.”

“Kamala Harris is the only candidate with a proven record of fighting for the people, and I expect that to be reflected in tomorrow’s election results,” Allison said. “The enthusiasm reflected in today’s rally shows the enthusiasm Pennsylvanians have for our campaign, and it has exceeded our wildest dreams.”

Ben Stillman, a senior teaching education major, attended the rally and said he felt “really nervous but hopeful” about the upcoming Election Day, however he found the crowd’s energy at the rally encouraging. 

“I felt so much optimism and strength from the crowd,” Stillman said. “It was an incredibly overpowering experience and one that I’ll remember forever.”

Several speakers at the rally — including DePasquale, Perry and Harris — brought attention to the issue of reproductive rights, which has emerged as a key issue in this election cycle. 

“Ours is not a fight against something. It is a fight for something,” Harris said. “It is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body.”

Though Harris’s speech was only 10 minutes long, she made a clear emphasis on the importance of voting on election day, saying she believes voting is “one of the highest forms of patriotism.”

“We are all here together because we love our country, and when you love something you fight for it,” Harris said.