Harris calls on Philly voters at various locations: ‘No one can sit on the sidelines’

By Darlene Superville, Maryclaire Dale and Chris Megerian, The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA— Kamala Harris said Sunday that “no one can stay on the sidelines” in this year’s presidential election, capping a day of campaigning in the crucial state of Pennsylvania’s largest city.

“We are focused on the future and we are focused on the needs of the American people,” Harris said, “unlike Donald Trump, who is looking in the mirror all the time and focused on himself.”

In a speech at a city recreation center, the Democratic vice president singled out young voters, praising them for being “rightly impatient for change” and telling the crowd that “there is too much at stake” in the campaign.

“We cannot wake up the day after the election and regret what we could have done in the next nine days,” Harris said.

Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle, two actors who starred in Marvel’s “Avengers” films, were at the meeting. Harris reminded the crowd that Pennsylvania’s deadline for early voting is Tuesday, telling them to “get it done tomorrow if you can.”

Energizing voters in Philadelphia, a traditional Democratic stronghold, is crucial to Harris’ chances of defeating Republican nominee Donald Trump. If turnout falls short here, it will struggle to overcome Trump’s advantages in rural Pennsylvania.

“Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory,” Harris told reporters. “It’s the reason I spend time here. But I am very optimistic about the enthusiasm.”

Kenny Payne, 62, said Harris will win and “it won’t be close.” The Democratic voter said he is playing golf with a group of Republicans who say they will not vote for Trump again.

“I think we’ll all be in bed by midnight,” he said outside the recreation center where Harris was speaking.

Patrick Boe, 46, said he was confident in the city’s enthusiasm for Harris, but he acknowledged his views may have been skewed.

“I’m in a bubble here,” Boe said.

Randyll Butler, a youth basketball coach who introduced Harris, said the election was in the “fourth quarter.”

“We can’t get tired,” she said. “We cannot become complacent.”

The Democratic coalition relies on voters of color, and Harris’ travel schedule on Sunday reflected that focus. She started the day with the black congregation of the Church of Christian Compassion, where she said the United States is “committed to turning the page on hate and division.”

Harris drew from the story of the apostle Paul, who overcame difficulties to spread the word of Jesus.

“In difficult times when we may grow weary of doing good, we must remember the power at work within us, the divine power that transformed Paul’s life, guided him through shipwreck, and sustained him through trials,” Harris said.

W. Lonnie Herndon, the church’s senior pastor, introduced Harris as “the voice of the future” and followed her remarks with a sermon on compassion and how “strong people never put others down, but lift them up.”

“We’re going to vote,” he said as Harris listened from her front-row seat. “And let me be crystal clear. We do not elect a pastor. We elect a president who will tackle this divided United States and bring us together again.”

Her next stop was Philly Cutz, a barbershop in West Philadelphia. Pennsylvania State Representative Jordan Harris moderated a conversation with Harris and Black men about improving racial representation in education. On the wall hung a poster of Barack Obama, the first black president.

“We don’t pay teachers enough,” said Harris, who, if elected, would be the second Black president and the first female president. “Student debt is a problem.”

Outside the store, people lined sidewalks and sidewalks hoping to catch a glimpse of Harris. “The White House MVP!” someone shouted.

Harris visited nearby Hakim’s Bookstore, which specializes in African-American history.

“It’s beautiful. It’s just so beautiful,” she said, asking for good books for six- and eight-year-old children, the same age as her nieces.

Harris joked about her weight with Ann Hughes, the mother of Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes.

“They’re working me to the bone,” she said.

After leaving the bookstore, Harris went to a Puerto Rican restaurant called Freddy and Tony’s, where she thanked the volunteers and told them, “we’re going to win.”

She also met youth basketball players at the Alan Horowitz “Sixth Man” Center. The coach said the players are “students first, athletes second.” Harris told them to “think of your brain as a muscle and when you train it, it gets stronger.”

Harris has tried to keep the focus on abortion rights in the latter part of the campaign, including during appearances with Beyonce And Michelle Obama. In an interview with CBS News which aired Sunday, Harris declined to say whether she would support any restrictions on abortion, emphasizing the need to reinstate Roe v. Wade.

“That’s how fundamental it is,” Harris said.

The nationwide right to abortion was overturned two years ago by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, including three justices nominated by Trump while chairman.

“My first priority is to bring back these protections and stop this pain and stop this injustice that is happening in our country,” Harris said.

She also dismissed Trump’s claim that he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected. “He says everything, come on,” Harris said. “Do we really take him at his word?”

Harris and Tim Walzthe governor of Minnesota, who is her running mate, is expected to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days as part of a final blitz before the election.

While Harris was in Philadelphia on Sunday, Walz campaigned in Las Vegas. On Monday, Walz visits Manitowoc and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before joining Harris for a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where singer Maggie Rogers will perform.

Harris will be in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to deliver on what her campaign is calling for her “closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space near the White House. It is the same place where Trump spoke on January 6, 2021, when the Republican called on his supporters to march to the Capitol.

More campaign stops are planned in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.

Megerian reported from Washington.