Rochester, Pennsylvania.- Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz offered words of encouragement to campaign volunteers and a high school football team as they toured a section of Pennsylvania ahead of a massive rally at the Democratic convention in Chicago this week.
The vice president and Minnesota governor were accompanied by their respective spouses, Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, as they made the trip on a blue bus. They stopped to visit volunteers at a campaign office not far from Pittsburgh, before continuing on to a fire station and a high school in another town, along with a visit to a Sheetz convenience store, part of a long-standing Pennsylvania chain.
During their stops, Harris and her running mate avoided referring to their policies or politics in general, instead sticking to broad messages focused on character, perseverance and the future of the United States.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters and volunteers outside her campaign office in Rochester, Ms. Harris spoke of strength and leadership. She appeared to make a veiled reference to Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee — who is known for his pugilistic style and projection of a strongman image — when she said that the “real, true measure of a leader’s strength is who you help stand up,” rather than who you knock down.
“Anyone who is focused on bringing other people down is a coward,” he shouted, drawing cheers and applause. “This is what strength looks like.”
For his part, in remarks that seemed to assume his role from his previous job as a high school football coach, Walz told the volunteers: “Let’s give it our all on the field. Let’s figure this out.”
Rochester is in Beaver County, which Trump won in 2020. But Democrats are capitalizing on renewed enthusiasm after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid exactly four weeks ago and endorsed Harris to replace him on the ticket.
The vice president later stopped at a fire station in the city of Aliquippa, where she met with firefighters, petted the station dog and gave members almond candy. She then headed to a nearby high school, where she and Walz met with the local football coach and gave a few remarks to the team, who knelt to listen.
Walz again adopted a coaching tone, recalling her days leading a team and reflecting on sportsmanship before introducing Harris. She praised the young athletes for their leadership: “Our nation is counting on you and your excellence. We commend the ambition you have.”
He also told them: “Welcome to the role model club.”
Southwestern Pennsylvania is a key area of a battleground state that has long attracted the attention of presidential candidates. The state’s electorate voted for Trump in 2016 and for Biden in 2020. Both Harris and Trump are competing to see who can hold Pennsylvania in the Nov. 5 election.
Most polls, including The New York Times/Siena College survey and the Fox News poll, show Harris and Trump locked in a tight race statewide.
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