By james art 
Kamala Harris tells rally that Gen Z is ‘rightfully impatient for change’
“What I know for you is that these problems are not theoretical,” Harris said. “This is your lived experience.”
MADISON — Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing argument in the liberal stronghold of Wisconsin Wednesday night to a high-energy rally packed with thousands of people — and plenty of star power.
The event, dubbed her “When We Vote, We Win” Rally and Concert, features performances by musicians Gracie Abrams, Mumford & Sons, Remy Wolfe and Matt Berninger and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
“Madison, we have the opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other,” Harris told a crowd of more than 13,000 at the Alliant Energy Center. “He is, but Madison is not us.”
She later added, “And in less than 90 days in the Oval Office, it’s either him or me.”
Here are some takeaways from Harris’ event, which took place the same night Trump rallied supporters near Green Bay.
Harris spoke to students, young adults and first-time voters
Many in the crowd were UW-Madison students and other young voters.
And during his 22-minute speech, Harris aimed some of his comments directly at them.
“Every day I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time. I love your generation too. I just love you guys. And let me tell you why,” Harris said to applause. “One reason is that you are all rightly anxious for change.”
She praised young people for pushing to tackle issues like climate change, gun violence and abortion rights.
“I see you and I see your strength,” Harris said. “I see your strength. And I’m so proud of you. Can we hear it for our first-time voters?”
She added: “There is nothing in the world that will stand in my way of fighting for you.”
Like a concert with a voting mood
Harris’ supporters began streaming into the arena around 3 p.m. to a medley of songs by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. The rain started to fall around 5:30 p.m., but hundreds of people remained in line waiting to get inside.
One sign invites people to make friendship bracelets, a nod to global superstar Taylor Swift, who supported Harris in September.
And a banner across the stage read “Badgers for Harris-Waltz,” a nod to the critical role UW-Madison students and other young voters are expected to play in the election.
For a number of young voters who gathered at the arena, it was the first political rally they had ever attended. And the musicians gave an additional incentive.
“I could be in the room with our future president,” said Jessica Amaya, 29, of Chicago. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”
Amaya, who joined her cousin, a UW-Madison freshman named Michelle Leon at the event, said she is a big fan of Mumford & Sons.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to see a woman of color on the ballot and have a chance,” Amaya said. “I never thought I’d see this so early in my life.”
Leon, also from Chicago, registered to vote in Wisconsin, where she said her vote would count more. She said the campus process is easy to navigate.
For Blackhawk Technical College student Lou McCully, Wednesday’s event marked their third rally. McCully, who uses the pronouns they/they, said LGBTQ rights are important to them and their girlfriend.
Harris was the main draw for McCully. But the music didn’t hurt.
“Me. Love. Gracie. Abrams.” McCully said.
Abrams and the other musicians urged people to vote.
“We’ve inherited a world that’s struggling, and it’s easy to feel disconnected and disillusioned,” Abrams said. “Between the intrusion of social media into our childhoods, COVID, and relentlessly targeted misinformation, we’ve been through some stuff. And it’s easy to get discouraged. But we know better. We know that unless we vote and keep our democracy intact, there’s nothing we can do to fix it when it’s our turn.”
And Marcus Mumford, frontman for Mumford and Sons, said that as a California native he was proud to vote for Harris and Tim Waltz.
Gov. Tony Evers mentions Mean Girls.
Gov. Tony Evers urged rally-goers to support Democrats up and down the aisle and made sure to call out U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is in a tight race against businessman Eric Hovde.
“He doesn’t even come here!” Evers said, riffing on a popular line from the movie “Mean Girls” and hitting Hovde’s California connections.
To thunderous applause, Evers said the era of fake cards is over. He also said Democrats will protect abortion rights, take climate change seriously and support LGBTQ rights.
“Your vote will now matter more than ever,” he said.
Evers also mispronounced Harris’ name, but insisted he wouldn’t press charges.
“I know her,” Evers said. “She will forgive me.”
The Badgers volleyball players get hugs from Harris
When Harris walked into the Alliant Energy Center, she was greeted by Evers and the University of Wisconsin-Madison women’s volleyball team.
The team members gasped as Harris hugged them individually and told them it was nice to meet them. She also told the Badgers, who are ranked No. 7, that they have an “exceptional team.”
One of the players could be heard telling her: “You’re so beautiful.”
The rally comes amid a deadlock in the final stretch of the campaign
The event comes as Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump make a final push in Wisconsin and other swing states ahead of Election Day, which is Tuesday. The two candidates are in a dead heat, according to a Marquette University School of Law poll released Wednesday.
Democrats have steadily increased their share of the vote and overall turnout in Dane County, Wisconsin’s fastest-growing county. And they clearly hope to continue this trend.
But Republicans are trying to win over Dane. Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. held an event in Madison on Tuesday night where they urged attendees to vote for Trump and to convince family and friends to do the same.
Jacob Fischer, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said: “I don’t think the people of Wisconsin will accept Kamala’s desperate attempt to rewrite her disastrous record.”
Harris and Trump, along with their campaign runners and surrogates, have become regulars in Wisconsin and other battleground states in recent months.
On Monday, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, visited Racine and Wausau, while Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, visited Manitowoc and Waukesha to court Republicans considering voting for Harris.
Both Harris and Trump are expected to return to Wisconsin on Friday.
This story has been updated to include new information.
Mary Spicuzza can be reached at [email protected] and at X at @MSpicuzzaMJS. Laura Schulte can be reached at [email protected] and at X at @SchulteLaura.