PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kamala Harris told a Philadelphia church congregation that the United States is “determined to turn the page on hatred and division” as she crisscrossed the Democratic stronghold on Sunday.
Energizing supporters in the largest city in the swing state of Pennsylvania is crucial for Harris’ campaign, and she’s focusing on voters of color with a little more than a week to go before the Nov. 5 election.
In her remarks to the predominantly Black audience at the Church of Christian Compassion, Harris drew on the story of the Apostle Paul, who overcome difficulties to spread the word of Jesus.
“In hard times when we may grow weary in doing good, we must remember the power that works within us, the divine power that transformed Paul’s life, guided him through shipwreck and sustained him through trials,” Harris said.
W. Lonnie Herndon, the church’s senior pastor, introduced Harris as “the voice of the future” and followed her remarks with a sermon about compassion and how “strong people never put others down, they lift them up.”
“In nine days we’ll be able to do this,” Herndon said as he made the motion of turning a page. “Turn the page,” the congregation shouted in unison.
“We are going to get out and vote,” he said as Harris listened from her seat in the front row. “And let me be crystal clear. We are not electing a pastor. We are electing a president that will deal with these divided United States, bring us back together.”
After church, Harris told reporters that “Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory.”
“It’s the reason I have been sending time here,” she said. “But I’m feeling very optimistic about the enthusiasm.”
Harris then went to Philly Cutz, a barbershop in West Philadelphia, where she spoke to Black men about improving racial representation in education. A poster of Barack Obama, the first Black president, was on the wall.
“We don’t pay teachers enough,” said Harris, who would be the second Black president and the first female president, if elected. “ Student loan debt is an issue.”
Outside the shop, people stood on stoops and lined the sidewalks in hopes of catching a glimpse of Harris. “The MVP of the White House!” someone shouted.
Harris visited Hakim’s Bookstore, which specializes in African American history.
“It’s beautiful. It’s just so beautiful,” she said and asked to see good books for 6- and 8-year-old children, the same ages as her nieces.
Harris joked about her weight with Ann Hughes, the mother of Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes.
“They’re working me to the bone,” she said.
The next stop was a Puerto Rican restaurant named Freddy and Tony’s, where Harris thanked volunteers and told them “we are going to win.”
She also met with youth basketball players at a community center where she planned to give a speech before returning to Washington. The coach said the players are “student first, athlete second.” Harris told them to “think of your brain as a muscle and when you exercise it it gets stronger.”
Harris has tried to keep the focus on abortion rights in the closing stretch of the campaign, including during appearances with Beyoncé and Michelle Obama. In an interview with CBS News that aired Sunday, Harris declined to say whether she would support any restrictions on abortion, emphasizing the need to restore Roe v. Wade.
“It is that basic,” Harris said.
The nationwide right to abortion was overturned two years ago by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court that included three justices nominated by Donald Trump while president.
“My first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country,” Harris said.
She also brushed off Trump’s claim that he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected. “He says everything, come on,” Harris said. “Are we really taking his word for it?”
Harris and Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor who is her running mate, are expected to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days, part of a final blitz before the election.
While Harris was in Philadelphia on Sunday, her running mate was campaigning in Las Vegas. On Monday, Walz will visit Manitowoc and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before joining Harris for a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the singer Maggie Rogers is scheduled to perform.
Harris will be in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to deliver what her campaign calls her “closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space near the White House. It’s the same place where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Republican called on his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Walz is scheduled to campaign Tuesday in Savannah and Columbus in Georgia.
Harris plans to visit North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The event in Madison, Wisconsin, is expected to feature musical performances by Mumford & Sons and others.
Walz will be in Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina, that day.
On Thursday, Harris will be in Nevada for rallies in Reno and Las Vegas, and in Phoenix. The band Maná will perform in Las Vegas and Los Tigres del Norte will perform in Phoenix.
Walz plans to campaign in Harrisburg and Erie, Pennsylvania, and Detroit.
Megerian reported from Washington.
