PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former President Barack Obama held a ballot for Kamala Harris Thursday evening as the Democratic Party sought to capitalize on enthusiasm for one of its biggest stars in the final weeks of the campaign against Republican Donald Trump.
Obama, speaking as voting was underway in the critical state of Pennsylvania, even changed his old rallying cry “Yes, We Can” to “Yes, She Can,” which beamed on a screen over the crowd.
Obama said the past few years, starting with the pandemic, have been difficult for Americans, with high prices and other impacts putting pressure on working families.
“I understand why people want to shake things up. I mean, I’m the hopey-changey guy. So I understand that people feel frustrated and feel like we can do better,” Obama said. “What I can’t understand is why anyone would think Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that’s good for you, Pennsylvania.”
He portrayed Trump as a maverick and not the choice to lead the country toward change, calling him a “lanky ‘billionaire’ who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode his golden escalator to rode downstairs.
He called Harris “a leader who has spent her life fighting for people who need a voice and an opportunity” and stated, “Kamala is as prepared for the job as any candidate has ever been.”
The former president’s appearance at the University of Pittsburgh was his first at a campaign rally for Harris as he embarks on a swing-state tour on her behalf. Obama appeared at a Harris fundraiser in California last month and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August:
Obama, eight years out of power, has been one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable surrogates for energizing voters. Until he was elected president in 2020, Joe Biden had also assumed that role for the Democrats, but this year, since he ended his re-election campaign and allowed Harris to rise to the ticket, he has yet to hit the road.
As the country’s first black president, Biden’s appearance for Harris underlines the historic nature of her own political career. Harris, the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, would be the first woman to serve as president if elected next month.
Glenda Ellison, a 71-year-old retired teacher and Democrat from Pittsburgh, said she feels “a little nervous” about the election but is “praying that it will go in our favor.”
Ellison said she sees Obama as a party spokesperson with a large following who can hopefully convince voters who are hesitant to vote for Harris.
“As a former president, and also as a black president, I think this is something that could relate to the African American community, the fact that our black president is supporting another black candidate,” said Ellison, who is black.
Obama was among key Democrats who were part of a behind-the-scenes effort to encourage Biden, his former vice president, to drop out of the 2024 race.
Obama and Harris have been friends for 20 years since he ran for Senate in Illinois. She campaigned for him when he became president in 2008.
Pennsylvania is a state that Obama won in his 2008 and 2012 presidential races, but Trump won in 2016. Biden narrowly passed in 2020 and the state is shaping up to be one of this year’s most hotly contested states.
Trump was in the eastern part of the state on Wednesday for back-to-back rallies in Scranton and Reading. He also campaigned in eastern Pennsylvania this weekend as he returned to Butler, where he was shot in July for surviving an assassination attempt.
Obama’s action was also aimed at boosting the re-election campaign of Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who is being challenged by Trump-backed Republican David McCormick.
Earlier in the day, Obama visited a campaign office in Pittsburgh, where he brought baked goods to volunteers and thanked them for their work, his office said.
“I’m excited because that’s what Allegheny County needs is to promote Harris and Walz, just to get the momentum going and get those blue votes out,” said Sherry Werner, a 60-year-old who attends the university works. from Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Werner, who wore a Harris button on her sweater, said she is volunteering to help the campaign and is already feeling more momentum than in years past, noting the long line of people waiting to participate in the event, hours before Obama was scheduled to begin. enter the stage.
“Who doesn’t love Obama?” she said.
