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Like a former prosecutor, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris used her time during a campaign rally in the Milwaukee area on Friday night to make a closing summation in her race for the White House.
The crux of Harris message: She is the candidate for the majority of working people and can usher in a post-Donald Trump era in American politics.
The sitting vice president spoke at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center in West Allis for nearly 25 minutes, seeking to cast her Republican rival Trump as a candidate of the past and herself as that of the nation’s future.
“It is time for a new generation of leadership in America,” she said.
It was a message the thousands attending the rally appeared to affirm with their cheers.
Upon taking the stage and throughout her remarks, Harris projected excitement as the hotly contested campaign enters its final stages ahead of the election next Tuesday.
“And we will win,” she asserted to enthusiastic applause.
The Democrat said she wants to help ordinary Americans. Harris reviewed her policy plans and summarized her vision to her supporters. She promised tax cuts, bringing an end to “corporate price gouging” on groceries, boosting efforts to make housing, health care, child care and elder care more affordable. She also pledged to help small businesses.
She also took several shots at her erstwhile opponent — using phrases and descriptions that have peppered her stump speech in recent weeks — calling Trump out for being the candidate of “division,” suggesting he was “unstable” and consumed with grievance and ready to smash political traditions and any opposition.
“The man is out for unchecked power,” she said.
The Democratic nominee also said that she would reach out to those she disagrees with to help shape her policies and listen to those “who will be impacted” by her plans.
“I pledge to listen to experts, to listen to people who disagree with me,” she said. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
Citing figures from the Harris campaign, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that more than 12,000 people were attending the rally, which included appearances by performers like MC Lyte, GloRilla, Flo Milli and DJ Gemini Gilly and the Isley Brothers. Rapper Cardi B and comedian Keegan-Michael Key were among the rally’s guest speakers. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley also addressed the crowd.
Harris’ visit coincides with another campaign stop in the city being held across town by Trump. The former president spoke at the Fiserv Forum Friday night. The Milwaukee arena was the same location where the Republican Party held its national convention in July.
Earlier on Friday, Harris held a rally in Little Chute. The Democrat spoke to more than 2,000 at the Little Chute High School gymnasium. Baldwin, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson and Ben Wikler, chair of the state Democratic Party, spoke ahead of Harris.
Harris also made a brief stop in Janesville Friday afternoon before heading to Little Chute.
Harris and her campaign surrogates have made frequent stops in Wisconsin in recent weeks. Earlier this week, she visited Madison for a rally. Her last stop in Northeast Wisconsin was an event the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon on Oct. 17. Before that she visited Ripon, the “Birthplace of the Republican Party,” last month with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney.
Wisconsin has long been identified as one of a handful of battleground states in this year’s presidential contest, forcing the candidates to divide their time to win supporters in these states as part of their pathway to the White House.
The latest Marquette Law School Poll, released earlier this week, found Harris and Trump were locked in a dead heat, further underscoring the stakes for both campaigns and how a win in Wisconsin for either next week could decide the race.
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