‘She’s got it all’: Voters excited about Harris at first presidential campaign stop

More than 3,000 energetic voters gathered in the West Allis Central High School gymnasium on Tuesday to see Vice President Kamala Harris in what was her first presidential campaign event since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The crowd — filled with moms and daughters, men and women, retirees, young voters, educators, and other voters from around Wisconsin — were all excited to see Harris, calling it a historic moment. They were enthusiastic and hopeful about Harris’ potential presidency, many of them saying they supported her record as a prosecutor and her views on abortion.

“I think she’s got it all,” said Pam Eklund of Sun Prairie.

Before being elected vice president, Harris was a U.S. senator for four years, the attorney general of California for six years, and a prosecutor in the Bay Area. 

As vice president, Harris has been tasked with overseeing immigration and voting rights, and most recently has been the administration’s leading voice in the fight for reproductive rights. In Wisconsin, Harris has done work on affordable housing, helping secure $61 million in funding for affordable housing, and she visited the state in 2023 to tout $1 billion in federal funding that would expand broadband. On Tuesday, she was introduced by Wisconsin teacher Leia Esser, who talked about the administration’s work on student loan debt relief.

“The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin. And to win in Wisconsin we are counting on you right here in Milwaukee,” Harris said.

This was Harris’ ninth visit to Wisconsin since becoming vice president and her fifth this year. West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee where the Republican National Convention was held just days before, is a key battleground area.

Many of the attendees sported T-shirts and pins in support of Harris and women in politics. One T-shirt depicted Rosie the Riveter and read, “Grab ‘em by the ballot,” with “Harris and anyone but JD Vance 2024″ on the back. Another shirt read, “We won’t go back.”

Shawna Krogman, an educator from Sheboygan, was at the event with her two young daughters, Elle and Willa Silberzahn. Krogman said it was an important moment for them all to witness.

“We’ve always been a big fan and now that she has been bumped up into this opportunity to run for president, I think this is history in the making, and what an amazing opportunity for my kids to experience that possibility,” Krogman said.

Her children were just as excited. “I think it’s really cool that there might be a woman president,” 12-year-old Elle said.

Krogman said that she supports what Harris and President Joe Biden have accomplished so far, and that while she likes Harris’ support of public education and protecting LGBTQ+ rights, one issue stands out for her.

“Particularly her stance on abortion access, women’s rights, [is] huge for me as a woman. And that impacts me greatly, so I want to have the ability to have choice over my body and I want my kids to have that same opportunity as well,” she said.

Harris has led a nationwide reproductive rights tour over the last half-year, and her first stop was in Waukesha County, a few miles away from West Allis, in January. During Tuesday’s rally, she promised that if elected president, she would sign a bill to codify abortion access nationwide.

Retired lawyer and judge Paul Czisny of Fond Du Lac said he was fired up to see the next president of the United States, saying Harris is “younger and more energized. She’s a prosecutor. … She knows how to prosecute this case and she’s got the experience now, she’s been in the White House for three-and-a-half years, and she’s ready to go.”

As Harris talked about former President Donald Trump’s record at Tuesday’s rally, the crowd chanted, “Lock him up!” Trump was convicted in May of 34 felonies in a hush money case, and is facing other felony charges related to his role in working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, and his mishandling of classified documents.

Samuel Marcus of Madison said Harris is a fighter. “I think having the difference between a felon and somebody who was California’s top cop to vote for is really important,” he said. “I’m excited because I think she’s going to win.”

The crowd was enlivened while waiting for Harris to arrive, singing along to “Sweet Caroline” and “We Are Family” and holding up printed letters that spelled “YES WE KAM!” Many started standing early in anticipation of Harris’ arrival.

Some attendees said they were motivated to have someone younger to vote for after a month of uncertainty in the Democratic Party. “The momentum behind Kamala totally energized me,” Eklund said.

Milwaukee resident Crystal Dortch said she was there to see history being made and wanted to “provide some kind of support for her, just letting her know that we’re behind her.”

“[It] couldn’t be a cooler thing to do and something I’m excited to tell my kids about, that I saw the first female president’s first campaign rally,” Marcus said.