‘Not who we are’: Harris seeks finish line push at crowded US capital rally

Washington, DC – It was Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s “closing argument” to the nation, one final big appeal to voters before the November 5 election day.

And it took place in a highly symbolic venue: the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House in Washington, DC.

Less than four years earlier — on January 6, 2021 — the Ellipse had been the site of a different address from Harris’s Republican rival, then-President Donald Trump. There, he whipped up false fears of election fraud, leading thousands of his supporters to attack the United States Capitol, in an effort to prevent the certification of the 2020 election.

That discord, Harris told the sprawling crowds on Tuesday, was the opposite of what she would bring to the White House if elected.

“Tonight I will speak to everyone about the choice and the stakes in this election,” Harris said. “We know who Donald Trump is.”

“He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election.”

That symbolism was the defining message of the night — and the centrepiece of a speech meant to be an exclamation point at the end of an atypically brief campaign.

“It is a choice about whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos or division,” Harris said.

Supporters attend a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on October 29 [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

With exactly seven days before election day, it remains unclear whether Harris’s message will be enough to give her the edge over Trump, with whom she is locked in a tight race. Polls have shown the candidates remain neck and neck both nationally and in a handful of key swing states.

With at least 50 million voters having already cast their ballots, the outcome is largely seen as a toss up.

‘Very anxious and on edge’

But among the crowd at Harris’s rally, her most ardent supporters expressed steadfast — if anxious — optimism.

“We’re one week out but I always say all hands on deck,” said Lauanna Lison, a 60-year-old military retiree who was among the thousands who spilled from the Ellipse onto the gaping lawn in front of the Washington Monument.

“I’m excited, very excited, for Kamala Harris to become the first woman president,” she added. “We’re here to show this has been a campaign of joy, and we are not going back.”

Luci Garza, a 19-year-old student at George Washington University in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera she’s “obviously been very anxious and on edge about this election.”

She noted that, in her home state of Texas, a lot rides on the outcome, with immigration and abortion rights among the top election issues.

Harris Supporter Luci Garza says she is concerned about a second Trump presidency [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera]

“This election is so important to me as a woman, as a Latina, as a Texan,” Garza said.

“But coming out here and seeing all of these people dancing and excited, it’s nice to see there are people who do care, and do show up and do want to be human.”

Speaking to the crowd, Harris revisted the policy proposals that have defined her brief campaign, which began in July after Biden dropped out of the race.

She pledged to create an economic policy aimed at the middle class, with a ban on price gouging, efforts to boost the housing market and financial support for new parents.

She also promised to protect the Affordable Care Act, a law that has expanded health insurance for US residents, while expanding Medicare to cover home care.

On abortion rights, she reaffirmed her intention to sign a federal bill protecting access if one were to land on her desk.

Still, throughout her speech, Harris repeatedly returned to the subject of Trump, repeating stark warnings that have defined the final weeks of her campaign.

“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power,” Harris said, invoking Trump’s recent reference to political opponents as the “enemy within”.

“The fact that someone disagrees with us does not make them the enemy within,” she said. “They are fellow Americans, and as Americans, we rise above together.”

‘People coming together’

Fifty-year-old supporter Jason Vaughn, a nurse practitioner from North Carolina, said he hoped Harris’s more unifying message will connect with voters who remain on the fence in the election.

Jason Vaughn, a Harris supporter, wears a ‘white dudes for Harris’ hat [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera]

Vaughn pointed out that Trump recently sparked outrage with a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, during which a comedian compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage”.

Trump has since brushed off the fall-out, telling reporters on Tuesday that the weekend rally was “beautiful” and “an absolute love fest”.

Vaughn, however, said that Tuesday’s Harris rally offered a stark contrast to the Madison Square Garden event.

“The difference between this and the Trump rally? This is about fellowship, people coming together,” said Vaughn, who wore a “White Dudes for Harris” hat.

“I think she’s got the momentum right now.”

He predicted the Madison Square Garden rally could hurt Trump in the final stretch of the race.

Trump was in the key swing state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, visiting the town of Drexel Hill, where he warned that the country was “being destroyed by incompetent fools”.

“I think the white guys are divided right now,” said Vaughn. “There’s a lot of misogyny, a lot of bravado, and my message is you don’t have to be that way to be a man.”

‘A lot of reservations’

But while Harris’s soaring speech in Washington, DC, was meant to be a display of political power, it also testified to her political vulnerabilities.

From the periphery of the event, a pro-Palestine protest could be heard from the street.

Such protests have been relatively common at Harris events, and they underscore the continued outrage over the Democrat’s continued support of Israel amid its war in Gaza and now Lebanon.

Harris has refused to commit to stopping arm sales to Israel or placing conditions on military aid, if elected. She has, however, said a ceasefire must be reached.

That position has threatened to erode her support among Arab, Muslim and progressive groups alike, which could be particularly damaging in the swing state of Michigan, which boasts a large Arab American population.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sumaiya Hamdami, a 62-year-old professor from Maryland, said she has wrestled with voting for Harris, despite being a “lifelong Democrat”.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold signs outside the Kamala Harris rally in Washington, DC, on October 29 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

She said she cast an “uncommitted” ballot during the primary season to protest the Biden-Harris administration’s stance on the conflict. Biden was still the Democratic candidate at the time.

“Obviously I have a lot of reservations about voting for this candidate, because she hasn’t had the ability and doesn’t seem inclined to do anything” to cut off arm sales to Israel, Hamdami said.

“But I think the alternative is a lot worse, so here I am.”

Others in the crowd indicated their fears of a second Trump presidency led them to support Harris.

“We’re feeling scared but hopeful,” said Marsha Tripp, a 73-year-old retired occupational therapist from Ohio. “If Trump were to win, it would just be a disaster.”

Kamala Harris supporters wave flags as they watch her ‘closing argument’ speech from the National Mall in Washington, DC, on October 29 [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Harris finished the speech with a pledge that she would be a different president than Biden.

Still, she sought to hammer home a similar theme to Biden’s message during the 2020 race: unity.

“Here’s my promise to you,” Harris said.

“I will always listen to you, even if you didn’t vote for me. I will always tell the truth, even if it’s difficult to hear. I work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done. And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way.”