‘Tonight, we finish as we started - with optimism…,’ says Kamala Harris winding up her 107-day US Presidential campaign
Harris wrapped up her historic 107-day presidential campaign in Philadelphia, urging voters to embrace optimism as she faces Trump in one of the closest elections in US history. With celebrity support and a Rocky-themed rally, she positioned herself as the underdog ready for victory.
US Election 2024: Vice President Harris delivered her final speech to voters in Philadelphia on Monday night – hours before polls open in her neck-and-neck fight in the US Presidential Election against Republican Donald Trump. Philadelphia is the largest city of Pennsylvania, one of the seven key swing states in US Presidential race.
"The momentum is on our side. Tonight, then, we finish as we started – with optimism, with energy, with joy," Harris told the crowd, predicting one of the closest elections in US history, according to news agency reports.
Harris took part in five campaign stops in Pennsylvania, including two cities where Trump also visited, Reading and Pittsburgh. She ended the day in Philadelphia with a star-studded event at the ‘Rocky steps’ of the Philadelphia Museum of Art – the site of a famous scene from the movie ‘Rocky.’
Despite enjoying the support of A-list celebrities including Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey, who addressed the Philadelphia crowd before the Democrat nominee took the stage, Harris called herself the underdog who like Rocky was ready to "climb to victory," the Reuters report said.
107-day campaign ends
Harris ran a 107-day presidential campaign, which many say is the shortest in modern political history. The 60-year-old Harris jumped in the fray after President Joe Biden decided to opt out.
“Philadelphia, you ready to do this? Are we ready to vote? Are we ready to win?” Harris asked the crowd.
Opinion polls show Trump, 78, and Harris in a close contest. The winner may not be known for days after Tuesday's vote, though Trump has already signaled that he will attempt to fight any defeat, as he did in 2020 when Democrat Joe Biden defeated him.
“Generations before us led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands,” Harris said. “We need to get to work and get out the vote,” she concluded.
Pennsylvania Matters
Like Harris, Trump was also in Pennsylvania on Monday, a day before the Election Day, to urge supporters who have not yet cast their ballots to show up and vote.
The Republican nominee campaigned in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan on the final full day of the campaign and was due to return to his home in Palm Beach, Florida, to vote and await election results, the US media reported.
Pennsylvania has largest share of votes in the Electoral College of any of the seven battleground states expected to determine the outcome.
In Pittsburgh, Trump offered what his campaign called his final closing message to voters in the last hours before Election Day. "We've been waiting four years for this," Trump said, adding that his rival Harris would bring economic misery, if she is elected the next President of the United States.
Generations before us led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands.
Tonight, then, we finish as we started – with optimism, with energy, with joy.
"We're going to win the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it's going to be over," said Trump, who later announced on stage he had been endorsed by podcaster Joe Rogan.
(With inputs from agencies)
Key Takeaways
- Harris’s campaign was notably one of the shortest in modern history, lasting 107 days.
- The importance of Pennsylvania as a key swing state was highlighted in both candidates’ final rallies.
- Celebrity endorsements played a significant role in energizing Harris’s campaign and rallying support.
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Business NewsNewsUs News‘Tonight, we finish as we started - with optimism…,’ says Kamala Harris winding up her 107-day US Presidential campaign
First Published:5 Nov 2024, 11:37 AM IST
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