Kamala Harris’ campaign made its penultimate stop in Rankin at the Carrie Furnaces on Monday, Nov. 4, with musical features from Andra Day and Katy Perry.
15,000 people were in attendance, according to a campaign representative.
Pittsburgh’s Mayor Ed Gainey, Democratic Attorney General candidate Eugene DePasquale, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Senator John Fetterman preceded Harris in appearance.
Gainey was the first figure to begin Harris’s now famous rally chant, “We’re not going back,” firing up the crowd and defaming former President Donald Trump’s campaign as self-interested and stuck in the past.
He was immediately followed by DePasquale, who called Trump an “orange monster” and said he was excited to work with Harris–former Attorney General of California–as president.
Both Davis and Fetterman expressed intense confidence that Harris would secure the support of Pennsylvania to achieve presidential victory.
Excitement then lulled as Harris made her way to the stage from Allentown. Attendants were preoccupied by DJ sets and footage from VP candidate Tim Walz’s most recent rally in Wisconsin.
After the video concluded at 9:03 p.m., Harris walked out to her campaign anthem: Beyoncé’s “Freedom.”
Harris didn’t cover much in terms of policy besides doubling down on her defense of abortion rights.
“Ours is not a fight against something, it is a fight for something,” Harris said.
Roughly five minutes into her speech, two separate chants in support of Gaza began toward the back left and right of the crowd. Harris did not acknowledge either. They eventually stopped after Harris supporters drowned them out with cheers.
Afterward, she left for a final rally in Philadelphia. Katy Perry began performing as Harris and rallygoers shuffled out of the venue.
The rally was initially slated to be held at Point State Park, but was moved due to safety concerns found by the Secret Service.
Rallygoers were let in a little before 3 p.m., where they processed into a large courtyard facing the hulking Carrie Blast Furnace with Harris’s stage set in front. A DJ amped up the crowd throughout the wait, playing a roughly four-hour set before Gainey came on at 7 p.m.
Dual American flags were hung from cranes, reminiscent of those seen at Trump’s rallies over the course of his campaign.
Guests were played hits of past and present generations, from Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” to Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.” The latter being a tribute to the late Quincy Jones.
As the time drew closer to 5 p.m., pockets of cheering could be heard from supporters caught in panning cameras that recorded campaign footage.
The Point Park President’s Office announced by email Monday morning that all classes after 12 p.m. would be canceled “to accommodate the impact” of Harris and Trump holding rallies in such close proximity to each other. Many Point Park students then had free time to make their way over to the Harris rally.
Marley Parker, a doctoral student at Point Park, said it was her first-ever political rally.
“I’m excited,” Parker said. “I feel like the vibes here are awesome, everyone here is really cool so I’m feeling good.”
With recent polling approximating Trump and Harris hurtled toward a very close race in Pennsylvania–both poll about 48%–Parker said “delusion” keeps her motivated.
“I keep telling myself it’s gonna be a blue landslide after the Iowa polls,” Parker said. “Texas is blue, Florida is blue; I’m just thinking as delusionally as possible right now.”
Parker is voting in person on the morning of Election Day.
When asked about their preferred Harris policy, a majority of Point Park students cited her defense of abortion rights as a main driver of their support.
“I think it’s insane that my rights are being taken away every second and that my grandmother had more rights than I do now,” Miranda Powell, a first-year dance major, said. “I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible because the lives of our future are on the line.”
Powell voted remotely with a mail-in ballot.
“I believe a woman should choose what happens with her body and not the government,” Gabby Somppi, a first-year dance education major, said.
Somppi is voting in-person on the morning of Election Day.
Jackson Durham, a sophomore criminal justice major, said he favors Harris’s effort to enact a federal legalization of recreational marijuana.
“I’m tired of people being locked up for smoking weed,” Durham said. “It’s just a plant. If alcohol is legal and so much more dangerous, why isn’t weed legal?”
LGBTQ rights were another commonly favored policy. Lai Dunn, a first-year acting major, said he thinks Harris stands more for human and LGBTQ rights than Trump.
“I’ve looked through her policies,” Dunn said, “and I have not entirely looked through Trump’s, because I already know I’m not gonna vote for Trump. That’s a given.”
Dunn said that Trump’s aggressive and vengeful rhetoric was a stark and glaring contrast to Harris’s pledge to fight “for the people.”
“The fact that half of the state is in favor of Donald Trump after everything that’s been said by him, what’s been said about his former campaign staff and his former White House staff about him saying that he would like generals like Hitler’s, it just concerns me how there’s still 48% of people that still say that’s okay,” Dunn said.
