Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is relying on her husband, Doug Emhoff, to energize voters in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, ahead of the presidential debate against former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia.
Emhoff appeared in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, where he criticized Trump’s comments on Truth Social, calling them “unhinged” and “anti-American.” He also encouraged the crowd to register to vote and vote early, emphasizing the importance of winning the state’s 19 electoral votes.
The event was part of a series of nearly 500 events held by the Harris campaign in Pennsylvania over the weekend, targeting thousands of voters through canvassing, phone banks, and other get-out-the-vote initiatives.
Emhoff’s appearance was accompanied by Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA), who also addressed the crowd.
Harris supporters in Pennsylvania are confident that she can win the state, despite polling showing a close race. Daniel Veres, a 31-year-old resident of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, believes that Harris can win the state due to the diversity of its voters and the fact that many are motivated to prevent another four years of Trump.
Kassel Coover, a 42-year-old marketing professional from Chester County, is canvassing for Harris for the first time and believes that she can make a difference in the election. Coover’s husband is a Republican, but she is determined to get more people to vote for Harris.
Caroline Bradley, a 46-year-old marketing professional from Chester County, began canvassing for Democrats in 2016 and is now bringing along friends like Coover to increase turnout among Democrats in Pennsylvania.
The Harris campaign has emphasized its ground game advantage over the Trump campaign, with 50 field offices and more than 350 staffers in the state. The campaign has also targeted rural counties that went for Trump by double digits in 2020 and is reaching out to Republicans who voted for Nikki Haley in the GOP primary.
Despite the efforts of the Trump campaign, including deploying Trump Force 47 volunteers and reserving millions of dollars in advertising, the Harris campaign is stressing that it is the “underdog” in the state.
