Kamala Harris addressed a boisterous crowd in North Philadelphia on Sunday, promising supporters that she would win a seemingly deadlocked presidential race with just nine days left before election day.
“Nine days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we know this is going to be a tight race until the very end,” the vice-president told hundreds of supporters. “And make no mistake: we will win.”
Echoing a message that she has hammered at every campaign stop in recent weeks, Harris framed the election as a choice between “two extremely different visions for our nation”. Harris accused Donald Trump of waging a selfish campaign of vengeance while she and her supporters work toward a better future for all Americans.
“We have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump,” Harris said. “We have the ability to turn the page on that same old tired playbook because we are exhausted with it, and we are ready to chart a new way forward.”
Harris took the stage after visiting a predominantly Black church and a barbershop in western Philadelphia, underscoring how important the city will be in her electoral strategy. Harris’s ability to turn out Democrats in Philadelphia will be key to winning Pennsylvania, which could serve as the tipping point state in the electoral college.
“There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days,” Harris said. “The election is here, and the choice, Philly, is truly in your hands. The path to victory runs right through all of the leaders who are here.”
Cherelle Parker, the mayor of Philadelphia, was among several prominent Democrats who introduced the vice-president at the rally. Parker, the first Black woman to serve as the city’s mayor, asked attendees to remember what it felt like to see Trump win in 2016 and urged them to do everything they can to prevent that from happening again. She reminded them that Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by just 1.2 points in 2020, four years after Trump carried the state by 0.7 points.
“Guess what the difference was between that 2016 vote and that 2020 vote?” Parker said. “More people came out to vote in the city of Philadelphia and our neighboring counties.”
The rally offered at least one warning sign for Harris, however. Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the beginning of Harris’s remarks, prompting boos from fellow attendees before the demonstrators were escorted out.
Harris did not shy away from addressing the protesters and instead turned her full attention to the war in Gaza, telling the crowd: “We can and we must seize this opportunity to end this war and bring the hostages home, and I will do everything in my power to meet that end.”
The stakes of the election came up repeatedly in conversations with attendees of the rally, with many saying they felt the weight of their responsibility as voters in a battleground state. Brenda Exon, a 60-year-old voter from Wallingford known as the “Philly Pride Lady”, attended the rally wearing her “timeline to liberty” apron, which tells the story of Philadelphia from the founding of Pennsylvania to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the civil rights movement.
“Our Philly story is our nation’s story, and that’s what we’re fighting for really. We don’t want Donald Trump to take this away,” Exon said. “We’re coming up on our 250th [anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence], and who should be president celebrating that in 2026? Kamala Harris.”
Despite the polls showing a neck-and-neck race, Harris’s supporters in Philadelphia seemed confident that she would emerge victorious. Jacob Roberts, a 26-year-old voter from West Chester who has already cast his ballot for Harris, said the enthusiasm for Trump seemed dimmer in Pennsylvania this year.
“I’m seeing a lot of Kamala yard signs around,” Roberts said. “I actually just drove out to western Pennsylvania. I didn’t see a lot of Trump signs on barns or anything, so I think we’re looking good.”
Asked whether he was disappointed to miss some of the Philadelphia Eagles football game to attend Harris’s rally, Roberts said it was well worth it, adding: “This is our country we’re talking about.”
