Kamala Harris revs up Wisconsin voters in packed rally, first of her presidential bid

The presumptive Democratic nominee makes her fifth Wisconsin visit of the year and receives a torrent of support from Milwaukee-area voters eager for a new generation of leaders.

Calling the freshly reconfigured 2024 presidential campaign “a choice between freedom and chaos,” Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon, keeping a travel commitment she made last week when it appeared this trip was going to be just another speech on behalf of President Joe Biden. Instead, it is Harris who is the presumptive Democratic nominee.

A capacity crowd of more than 3,000 people inside the gym at West Allis Central High School erupted in cheers as Harris took the stage to “Freedom” from Beyonce’s Lemonade album and began her first official rally of the brand new presidential campaign. 

Harris began by again thanking Biden for his service, two days after he withdrew from the presidential election and endorsed his 2020 running mate. 

“It truly has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as vice president to our President Joe Biden,” Harris said. “Joe’s legacy of accomplishment over his entire career and over the past three-and-a-half years is unmatched in modern history.”

There was another roar from the crowd when she announced she had received enough commitments from a majority of delegates to clinch her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.

The vice president then wheeled on her November opponent, former President Donald Trump, by drawing a clear contrast between his criminal convictions and her history of prosecuting criminals.

“I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said.

At the same time, she said, this election is about more than preventing Trump from returning to power. “This campaign is about who we fight for.”

“We will believe in the sacred freedom to vote,” Harris said. “We’ll make sure every American has the ability to cast their ballot and have it counted.”

There was also a promise to pass gun safety laws and then a commitment to restoring women’s reproductive healthcare rights.

“We’ll stop Donald Trump’s extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” Harris said to the loudest cheers of her speech. “And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms as president of the United States, I will sign it into law.”

Harris closed by acknowledging Wisconsin’s consistently close presidential elections and its well-known battleground status.

 ‘The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin,” Harris said. “We have doors to knock on. We have phone calls to make, we have voters to register, and we have an election to win.” 

“So Wisconsin, today I ask you, are you ready to get to work?”

 The crowd shouted its approval.

At Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee and at the event, Harris was greeted by a full complement of Wisconsin Democrats — including Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, State Superintendent Jill Underly, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, plus other local and labor leaders — demonstrating the unity she has enjoyed from the moment Biden gave her his endorsement. 

“To have someone that is younger, with a fresh perspective, and the possibility of electing our first Black woman president I think is very exciting for a lot of folks,” said Angela Lang of Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC) on UpNorthNews Radio. “I think people feel a little hopeful that maybe there is a real path for November to stop Donald Trump from getting a second term. There’s definitely a lot of energy for that.”

Tuesday’s visit is the fifth to Wisconsin by Harris this year and her ninth since becoming vice president. She started 2024 with a January visit to Waukesha County to kick off a national speaking tour emphasizing women’s healthcare rights. Harris visited Madison in March, La Crosse in April—and a May visit to Milwaukee brought an emphasis on the Biden-Harris record on economic progress for communities of color, Black entrepreneurs, homeowners, and consumers.