‘Hello Madam President’: Pennsylvanians rally behind Kamala Harris’ historic campaign

Michael Schwartz, a 28-year-old from Conshohocken, didn’t hesitate when asked what he considers to be the most important issue in the 2024 election.

“Democracy,” Schwartz said while waiting to see Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaign in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential run at Wissahickon High School in Ambler on July 29.

“I mean, that to me is everything,” Schwartz said. “That informs everything else. So it’s going to be a matter of: Do we have elections to vote in? Do we have a future to campaign for?”

Concerns about former President Donald Trump’s and his supporters’ attacks on democracy — including the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a relentless barrage of lies undermining election workers’ credibility, encouraging violence against those with whom he disagrees, and his verbal assaults against the press — are fueling support for Harris from Schwartz and other Pennsylvanians.

“I think it’s the preservation of American democracy,” Alex Eldridge, a Glenside resident who worked in project management in the internet technology field before retiring, cited as his top priority for this election.

“I mean, if somebody tries to overthrow the government in a democracy, you don’t give them another shot at it because they’ve already shown you what they’re capable of,” Eldridge continued.

Schwartz and Eldridge were among the more than 1,300 people who gathered to see Shapiro and Whitmer in Ambler, a Philadelphia suburb about 10 miles from where Pennsylvania’s governor grew up in Dresher. Both Shapiro and Whitmer have been vocal supporters of Harris and were named as top contenders for Harris’ vice presidential pick. Since originally being floated as a top choice for vice president, Whitmer has said she plans to remain Michigan’s governor and has not been vetted to be Harris’ running mate.

The large crowd that gathered at Wissahickon High School to see the two Democratic governors is emblematic of the growing support for Harris in the commonwealth, a swing state that’s poised to play a critical role in the 2024 election. In addition to the Shapiro-Whitmer event, pro-Harris rallies have been held daily, and often numerous times a day, throughout the commonwealth. Since July 28, Harris organizers said more than 15,000 people have signed up to volunteer for Harris in Pennsylvania.

From students and retirees, to educators, union workers and doctors, Pennsylvanians are rallying behind the nation’s first Black vice president in the hopes that she will defeat Trump in November to become the United States’ first female president.

“For me, at my age, it is a lifetime dream,” Darrell Ann Murphy, 83, of Easton, said of a woman being elected to the nation’s highest office. “I think of the generations younger than me, and how this could be a trend. This could finally be a trend. If she is the first, there will be more.”

Among those interviewed by the Pennsylvania Independent about Harris’ candidacy, residents supported the vice president’s efforts to protect reproductive rights, increase affordable housing, combat medical debt, boost funding for infrastructure, support public school teachers, address immigration, and protect children from gun violence.

Many of those interviewed by the Pennsylvania Independent said they’re thrilled that Harris could not only be the first woman to serve as president but also the first person of South Asian descent. Harris’ mother came to the U.S. from India and worked as a cancer researcher in the United States. Her father is a renowned economist from Jamaica; he taught at Stanford University for decades.

“I have been following VP Harris since her election in 2020, and I’ve known about her run in 2019 when she wanted to run for president,” Shiva Sharma, 18, of Philadelphia, said.  “Ever since then, I’ve just been filled with hope and passion for her. Knowing that she’s one of us, that makes me feel comfortable and safe in my community, and in the country as well, just to know a girl like her, or a girl like me, can become something someday.”

Ronna Dewey, the state program director for Red, Wine and Blue, a grassroots group that aims to engage suburban women in politics, said she believes a Harris White House would translate to policies that protect communities, families, and reproductive rights.

“What’s most important to me for this election, and makes it make-or-break, is women’s reproductive freedom, as well as LGBTQ+ rights and public education,” Dewey said. “All three of those things are at stake.”

Among the swell of supporters in Pennsylvania, Harris can count Shapiro and a long list of local Democratic leaders.

“This election isn’t just about the name on the ballot,” Shapiro told the energized crowd at Wissahickon High School. “It’s an election about all of us and what it is that we’re willing to fight for, what it is that we’re willing to work for, and what kind of future we want to build for our children and our grandchildren.”

“I want a future that is cleaner and greener,” the governor continued. “I want a future with better schools and safer streets, with more freedom, not less. And I want a future where I can look the 47th president of the United States in the eye and say, ‘Hello, Madam President.’”