Kamala Harris rallies in Philly and says Pennsylvania ‘will decide’ who becomes president

At the end of a presidential campaign in which Pennsylvania was transformed into a 45,000-square-mile political arena, Vice President Kamala Harris made a final appeal Monday at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the state’s coveted 19 electoral votes.

“We need everyone to vote in Pennsylvania and you will decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania,” said Harris, who addressed a late-night crowd that had waited in a decidedly November chill at a raucous, hours-long Parkway rally.

Invoking Rocky (naturally), she said, “It’s good to be back in the City of Brotherly Love where the foundation of our democracy was forged, and here at these famous steps, a tribute to those who start as the underdog and climb to victory.”

For all their differences, Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, again agreed emphatically Monday that the route to the White House passes through the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The event culminated a day in which the two ping-ponged across the Keystone State, presenting closing arguments with bookend rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Echoing what he has stated elsewhere, Trump said at the PPG Paints Arena, “If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing.”

Trump, who was making a last visit to swing state Michigan during the early hours of Election Day, again repeated false claims that voter fraud cost him the 2020 election and predicted that this time, he would win by “a landslide that is too big to rig.”

The Harris event, featuring Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, The Roots, and Oprah Winfrey, among others, was akin to a Philly Parkway festival. It evoked the 2016 election eve rally for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at Independence Mall, at which Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi performed.

» READ MORE: Lady Gaga, The Roots, Ricky Martin, Jazmine Sullivan, and more open for Kamala Harris at the Art Museum

But Harris obviously is hoping for a better aftermath. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker invited the Parkway crowd to think about how they felt that morning after Election Day in 2016.

Rally attendee Anjali Thapar, a Philadelphia college professor, recalled that she cried that morning. ”I was so devastated by what we had done as a country, and I just don’t want to go back,” she said. “I’m nervous. I am. But I’m hopeful.”

Along with the chill, the air of festivity was mixed with a measure of anxiety, given that polls continue to show the nominees are in a virtual tie in the largest of the swing states, what New Jersey Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has called “the swingiest.” And southeastern Pennsylvania happens to be the state’s most-populous region.

“Philly always deserves this kind of recognition,” said Stephen Pierce, 28, from Havertown. He was dressed up as a 1776 Continental Army solider — it is a battleground state — what he wears at work as a tour guide at Fort Mifflin. “But I’m not gonna to lie, it’s nerve-wracking to know all our votes are make-or-break.”

In Pittsburgh, Trump insisted that “fake news” was behind those polls showing that the race was close and addressed a menu of his signature themes, including denouncing transgender athletes’ participation in sports and blaming the media for overrating the importance of the issue.

Referring to the assassination attempt during the summer in Butler, Pa., in which he was wounded, Trump said, “Many people said God saved me in order to save America.”

Harris also made an appearance in Pittsburgh, speaking briefly before flying across the state. “Are you ready to make your voice heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America, and are we ready to fight for it?” she said.

A whole lot of the crowd awaiting her arrival 300 miles away at the other end of the turnpike began showing up several hours earlier. They were greeted with the sounds of a DJ playing “We Are Family,” the 1979 mega hit by Philadelphia’s Sister Sledge, which also happened to be the anthem for the Pittsburgh Pirates the last time they won the World Series.

Nathaniel Bowman — a 22-year-old political science student at the University of the District of Columbia — was first in line after having arrived at 12:15 a.m. To pass the time, Bowman said he slept on a park bench, took long walks to stave off the cold on one of the chilliest mornings of the season, and ordered several coffees via Uber Eats.

Bowman said he had been “nervous for the past days, weeks, months really” but was buoyed after a recent poll showed Harris pulling unexpectedly ahead in Iowa.

Among the early arrivals was James Garnett, 51, who said he had passed out “30 or so” gin and tonics to those waiting in line by the time gates opened at 4 p.m. Garnett showed up at noon with several handles of gin, pretzels, a quart of Wawa lemonade, and bourbon to sip straight from the bottle.

“It’s a rally,” Garnett, 51, said. “It should feel like a party.” Garnett flew in from Seattle on Friday; he was going to write a check but decided to volunteer and has been canvassing in Montgomery County.

Hundreds had already lined up along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway by 3 p.m., four hours before the festivities got underway, when Philly-born R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan took the stage with a cover of “What’s Going On” by the late Marvin Gaye, a legend of Michigan’s Motown.

Among the performers was Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin, introduced by rapper Fat Joe, who ripped Trump for his unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs.

» READ MORE: Harris and Trump present dueling visions for the country in their election eve pitches to Pennsylvania

The performances for the most part were brief, evidently to accommodate a live-stream campaign program that included performances from several rallies across the country, including by Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and James Taylor in Raleigh.

That meant long breaks between acts, with the crowd passing the time swaying along to Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood songs or entertaining itself with “E-A-G-L-E-S … Eagles!” chants. (You’re surprised?)

Sara Grimaldi, 22, who was singing along to Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” said she backs Harris because “I am both a woman and queer and I would like to not wake up everyday wondering whether or not I’m going to keep having rights.” She said while she was ready to protest any Harris policies she found unacceptable, “The difference is that I’d rather be with her than with someone who won’t listen.”

Valerie Frank, a Democrat from Downingtown, brought her 6-year-old daughter Addison to the rally. Frank said she wanted her first grader to witness history as the little girl, wearing a purple tutu dress, twirled beside her.

”It’s a big moment,” Frank said. “I thought this in 2016, but I’m really hoping I’m not gonna be disappointed again.”

Staff writer Dan DeLuca contributed to this article.