By james art Politicians and musicians gathered Wednesday night for Kamala Harris’ Get Out the Vote rally at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
With lines starting in the early afternoon, thousands of rally-goers waited patiently for the campaign event. In the end, the hall was packed with about 10,000 people, while several hundred other supporters, many of them students, were turned away at the door.
Harris was preceded by four acts, including Remy Wolff, The National, Gracie Abrams, who sang her hit “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” and Mumford & Sons, who performed fan favorites “The Cave” and “Little Lion Man” .” Between each set, Democratic representatives gave short speeches in support of Harris and Tim Walz and emphasized the importance of Wisconsin as a swing state.
Democratic leaders in attendance included Gov. Tony Evers, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Mark Pocan.
The combination of music and speeches created a unique atmosphere, giving the event the feel of a music festival.
The theme of the evening was rallying first-time and Gen Z voters to the polls. The crowd was mostly UW-Madison students, and the performers knew it; singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams opened her set with an enthusiastic “Go Badgers!” that sent a wave of applause through the room.
Vice President Harris also directed most of his messages to new and first-time voters. “I love your generation, I just love you guys!” Harris said with a smile, pointing to the crowd as she took the stage. “Let me tell you why – one of the reasons is that you are all rightly anxious for change.”
She continued: “You who only know the climate crisis are leading the battle to protect our planet and our future. You who grew up with active shooter training are fighting to keep our schools safe. You, who now know less rights than your mothers and grandmothers, stand for freedom. And what I know for you is that these problems are not theoretical. This is not political for you; it is your lived experience. I see you and I see your strength. I see your strength and I am proud of you.”
“Can we hear it for our first-time voters?” Harris said toward the end of his speech, drawing a deafening roar from the audience.
“The majority of us have far more in common than what separates us, and let’s approach it in that spirit,” she concluded. “We have six days to get this thing done and no one can stand by.”
When the visitors left the stadium, happiness was thick in the air. Teenagers danced in groups, exchanged friendship bracelets and sang songs in the parking lot, despite the pouring rain.
Badger students were also filled with optimism and excitement for the upcoming election. “After the rally, I felt really hopeful for our future,” UW–Madison sophomore Emily Dzierzak said.
Kaitlin Olson, a 19-year-old UW-Madison student, echoed Dzierzak’s enthusiasm. “My favorite part of the rally was the energy. Everyone was so excited to be there – you could tell!”
Moments later, 20-year-old Emily Gowing could be seen grinning and jumping up and down. “Gracie Abrams commented on our TikTok!” she shouted as she held out her phone to strangers, showing them the video she and her friends recorded during the rally. Abrams had left several blue emoticons with hearts under the student’s page.
“Having famous artists supporting Harris-Waltz is so inspiring,” said Gowing, a sophomore at UW-Madison. “It fills me with hope to see so many young people who are passionate about making a difference.”
Early voting is open in Wisconsin until Nov. 3 in most locations and is encouraged before Election Day on Nov. 5.
