By james art In her last scheduled visit to Nevada this election cycle, Vice President Kamala Harris touted herself as the only candidate fighting to help the working class at rallies in Reno and North Las Vegas, where she was joined by Mexican rock band Maná and actress Jennifer Lopez.
In nearly identical speeches lasting about 25 minutes, Harris revisited a number of his policies aimed at reducing health care, housing and grocery costs, and characterized his candidacy as a fight for freedom and dignity. About 6,000 people attended the rally in Reno, according to the campaign. Crowd numbers for the rally in North Las Vegas were not immediately available.
The rallies came five days before Election Day, when early results are likely to give a clearer picture of who will carry Nevada’s six electoral votes; the state could prove critical in determining the next president. Former President Donald Trump also made his final appearance in Nevada on Thursday at a rally in Henderson, and the two candidates’ rivals come to Las Vegas on Saturday.
Polls have consistently shown Harris and Trump in a deadlock for the Silver State, mirroring rivalries in other battleground states. Registered Republicans are outpacing registered Democrats in early voting so far, but much remains unclear, especially given that registered nonpartisans make up more than a quarter of all votes cast so far. Harris expressed optimism Thursday that he will prevail in the election.
Thursday’s appearance marked Harris’ third trip to Nevada — and first stop in Reno — since rising to the top of the Democratic ticket following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race. She held a rally at Thomas & Mack Arena in early August and another in downtown Las Vegas in September. She also made several appearances in the Silver State earlier this year as Biden’s running mate.
Before Harris spoke at the outdoor amphitheater at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas, she was preceded by a performance by Maná, which led to lively dancing in the crowd, and Lopez, who became emotional as she criticized racist remarks made at the Trump rally in New York over the weekend, including one from a speaker who called Puerto Rico a “garbage island.”
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day,” said Lopez, whose parents were born in Puerto Rico. “It was anyone with humanity… We are Americans.”
In Reno, Harris was interrupted by scores of predators — including at least one shouting about the war on Gaza — who were escorted by security.
Harris chimed in with the interruptions, noting that “democracy can be complicated sometimes” and celebrating the US as a country where people are free to express their opinions without fear of jail.
As the jeers continued, she vowed to listen to people who disagreed with her “because that’s what real leaders do.”
“He wants to put them in jail — I’ll give them a seat at the table,” Harris said.
Here are some key takeaways from Harris’ visit.
Emphasis on the working class
Lowering the cost of living for Americans is at the top of her to-do list, Harris said, touting her proposed middle-class tax cuts that she said would benefit more than 100 million Americans, as well as tax cuts for small business owners.
She also reminded attendees of her proposal to ban grocery price hikes — which has some economists skeptical of how much it could really help Americans — and to eliminate tip taxes for service workers and hospitality, an idea first floated by Trump at a rally in Las Vegas in June.
She contrasted those proposals with what she called Trump’s “20 percent national sales tax on everything you buy that’s imported,” a reference to his plan to impose a 20 percent tariff on American imports that has drawn widespread criticism for its projected impact on US consumers.
“We know who Donald Trump is because we all know he’s not a guy who thinks about how to make your life better,” Harris said.
She also criticized Republicans’ plan to make changes to the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care legislation passed under President Barack Obama.
In response to a question from an attendee, “No Obamacare?” at a campaign rally this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said “No Obamacare. [It] is so deeply entrenched, we need massive reform to make this work, and we have lots of ideas about how to do that.”
Johnson later denied saying he would support repealing the law, and Trump’s campaign said he did not support repealing it, even though he made multiple unsuccessful attempts to do so while he was president.
Dignity and freedom
As he has throughout the campaign cycle, Harris has described his potential presidency as one that will protect dignity and fight for people’s liberties.
She leaned on her support for abortion rights — in contrast to how Trump “handpicked” three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — and encouraged attendees to support Nevada’s Ballot Question 6, which would to be the first step toward enshrining abortion rights in the Nevada constitution.
She also criticized Trump for his recent statement that he would be an advocate for women “whether they like it or not.”
“He doesn’t believe women should have power or agency over their own bodies,” Harris said in Reno.
The idea of freedom was also shared among members of Nevada’s congressional delegation who spoke to Harris.
“This is a look and see election,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV) in North Las Vegas. “When they come for our freedoms, we come for you”
Harris has also focused attention around “dignity,” particularly regarding her proposal introduced this month to expand Medicare coverage to include home health care. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, highlighted it at a rally in Reno earlier this month, but it was the first time Harris mentioned the proposal at a rally in Nevada.
“It’s about dignity and about the values you bring to your leadership position,” Harris said. “We’re done with the idea that the measure of a leader’s power is based on who you defeat, when we know that the true measure of a leader’s power is based on who you elevate.”
Optimism in the household
In previous stops in Nevada, Harris has emphasized that she remains the underdog in the race — but her tone was different Thursday.
“Make no mistake. We’re going to win,” Harris said. “We have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. We’re done with that. We are exhausted by it.”
Optimism was on display among those in attendance.
Stacey Martin went to the rally in Reno from Davis, California to “cheer on the next president of the United States.”
Martin, who supports Harris for her stance on reproductive rights, isn’t worried about how close the race is.
“I’m not worried,” she said. “She’s got this.”
While Harris was upbeat about the state of the race, Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) acknowledged early voting in Nevada.
“The Republicans are kicking our ass with early voting,” Titus said in North Las Vegas. “We can’t let that happen.”