About 3,000 people gathered in Memorial Hall at Muhlenberg College on Nov. 4, to show last minute support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris before polls opened at 7 a.m. today.
A blue banner reading “A president for everyone” hung over the stage while signs displaying slogans like “When we vote we win,” and words such as “Freedom” and “USA,” filled the bleachers as supporters awaited Harris’ entrance.
Although attendance was capped at Memorial Hall’s 3,000-person capacity, hundreds of people lined the streets outside. Those unable to enter were directed to an overflow room across the hall, where Harris spoke briefly and the rest of the rally was broadcasted live.
Before Harris took the stage, officials including Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Rep. Susan Wild addressed the crowd while emphasizing the importance of the Latino vote and encouraging attendees to get out and vote on election day.
During her 21-minute speech, Harris touched on topics ranging from inflation, tax cuts, affordable housing, childcare and healthcare. While calling on the Latino community to vote, she primarily focused on encouraging attendees to maintain momentum and finish the campaign strong.
Harris also briefly mentioned reproductive freedom in her speech.
“When Congress, with Bob Casey’s help, passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide as president of the U.S., I will proudly sign it into law,” Harris said.
Rep. Wild and Gov. Shapiro reiterated this commitment, emphasizing women’s rights and reproductive freedom — a key election issue at stake for many rally-goers.
Pat Bieber, a retired resident of Macungie, attended the rally and said she did so to show her support for Harris and her policies, especially when it comes to reproductive freedom.
“I’m here to represent women all over who can’t be here today to protect our rights as women and that we don’t go back 50-plus years to coat hangers and back alley abortions,” Bieber said.
She added that protecting Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act are also crucial, describing them as some of the most significant laws passed over the past century.
With seats in the House of Representatives on the line, Harris encouraged voters to reelect Rep. Susan Wild for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
Wild called out her opponent Ryan Mackenzie numerous times in her address. She questioned Mackenzie’s repeated claims that he has never voted for an extreme ban on abortion without any exceptions in Pennsylvania.
Someone from the audience called Mackenzie a liar, and Wild said she didn’t even need to call Mackenzie out in their previous debate because the moderator did.
She then said Trump was the one who handpicked the Supreme Court justices who made the Dobbs decision, which led to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that it should be left up to the states, because what that means for every woman in this room and all American women is that they’re not equal,” Wild said. “If you’re in Pennsylvania and have freedom of choice, great. But if you’re in Oklahoma, Texas or Indiana, you’re not equal to other women in the country.”
Kelly P., also a resident of Macungie, attended the rally because she’s ready for a change and “not going back.” She said abortion is an important issue in this election for her as she has daughters of her own.
“It’s not only about abortion, it’s about women’s health issues as a whole,” she said. “If a woman has a miscarriage, she may not be able to get a D&C — a surgical procedure which can be used as an alternative to end a pregnancy.”
Following Rep. Wild’s speech, Gov. Shapiro took the stage and criticized Trump for his role in overturning the landmark case. He praised Harris as someone who is committed to protecting people’s freedoms, beginning with restoring the rights protected by Roe..
“We’re not going back to that, no we’re not,” Shapiro said.
Anita R., an Allentown resident, described herself as a “freedom fighter” for women’s rights, and she said women should have autonomy over their bodies. She also expressed concern over the growing division in the country and said as a white woman with a Black husband and biracial children, she feels Trump’s rhetoric of placing minorities into categories creates divides.
“We all come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and I don’t want to feel separate from my neighbor across the street.”
Musician Joseph Cartagena, also known as Fat Joe, spoke at the rally and referenced comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial “island of garbage” comment about Puerto Rico made at a recent rally for former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden.
In her speech, Harris said America is ready for a “new way forward,” where citizens view one another as neighbors, not enemies.
Lauren Vargas, owner of Nowhere Coffee Co. located in Allentown, said the discussion surrounding immigrant rights is important to her in this election as her husband is a Dominican immigrant.
Vargas said she also has three first-generation children who are half-Dominican, one being a woman, so she felt the need to advocate and vote for them since they’re not old enough to yet.
Her coffee company hosted President Biden in January and she said the business took a big risk in doing so.
“Our business saw a decline, but we knew what we were doing,” Vargas said. “We need this to end and we need the right candidate to win the election.
As the rally concluded, Harris said she pledges to listen to those affected by her decisions, including people who may disagree with her. She said true leadership involves hearing all voices.
“We are fighting for a democracy right now,” she said. “We love our democracy and it can be a bit complicated sometimes, but I’m not going to be a leader who thinks that people who disagree with me are the enemy. I’ll give them a seat at the table because that’s what real leaders do, that’s what strong leaders do.”
Brenda Boyer, a resident of Kutztown, said continuing to bring America back together is important as she believes citizens aren’t as divided as the media can make everyone out to be. She emphasized how citizens need to find a way to unite, so they don’t have to care what party affiliation they have.
Boyer said she always voted who was the best candidate up and down the ticket in the past, never voting just straight Republican and Democrat.
“We’d just like to return to normal politics where we can civially debate the issues we care about, come to consensus and move forward,” Boyer said. “That’s what this country has always been about and as flawed as parts of our history are, we still be believe that we can be better and now is the time to make that happen.”
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