Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at rally in Phoenix, Arizona on October 31, 2024
By Emmanuel Rodriguez
Just days before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Phoenix, Arizona’s Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre on Oct. 31 to get out the vote from Maricopa County voters. The rally also had special guests, including Los Tigres Del Norte, a Mexican regional music band. Her list of guests and speakers also included Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Mayor of Phoenix Kim Gallego, Ariz. Governor Katie Hobbs, Senator Mark Kelly, Former Rep. Gabby Giffords and U.S. Senate Candidate Ruben Gallego.
Romero emphasized the importance of making a plan to vote and made heavy appeals to Hispanic voters. She criticized former President Donald Trump’s remarks about immigrants, particularly the Hispanic/Latino population. In reference to Trump saying that Mexico is sending its worst to the United States, Romero said, “My parents were not the worst, I am not the worst, my children are not the worst, you are not the worst!”
Kate Gallego spoke on Harris’s plan to uplift the economy for middle-class Americans, saying, “Arizona’s economy cannot afford Donald Trump.” Harris’ economic plan includes expanding the Child Tax Credit and providing tax cuts for middle and working-class Americans.
Hobbs, who also served as Arizona’s Secretary of State from 2019 to 2023, spoke on Trump’s and Kari Lake’s rampant claims about the 2020 election being stolen. Hobbs also told rallygoers to “put an end to Trump’s darkness” and pushed to elect Democrats across the ballot.
Harris took the stage to explain her plan to uplift middle and working-class families across the United States. “On top of my list is bringing down your cost of living. It’s an issue we need to address, and it will be my focus every single day as President. I will give a middle-class tax cut to over 100 million Americans. I will enact the first-ever federal ban on corporate price-gouging on groceries. I will fight to make sure that hard-working Americans can afford a place to live,” Harris said.
A few minutes into her speech she was met with Pro-Palenstinian protests. She responded by saying, “We all want this war to end and get the hostages out, and I will work on it full-time when I am elected president, as I have been.” Harris also criticized Trump’s plan to enact a national sales tax on all imported goods. She reciprocated the concerns of many economists, saying that “a Trump sales tax would cost families an additional $4000 a year”.
Harris also reemphasized her campaign’s main point, saying women should have the right to do what they want with their bodies and not have the government tell them what to do. Harris closed off her speech with an appeal to young and first-time voters and emphasized the closeness of Election Day. “I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time,” Harris said.
“Arizona, we have five days to get this done, and no one can sit on the sidelines,” Harris said.
The Harris rally served as a reminder of how close we are to Election Day, and the current VP emphasized what is at stake for voters in Arizona and across the United States. Election Day is November 5, less than a week away, and the Harris campaign team understood the urgency to act and rally for Democrats in Phoenix to vote blue.