CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris, In the first rally His 2024 presidential campaign told supporters in Wisconsin on Tuesday that he would spend the coming weeks “continuing to unify our party” ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention and this fall’s showdown with Donald Trump.
Harris’ rally in Milwaukee featured a stump speech similar to what he has given on the campaign trail for months — drawing sharp contrasts with Trump that President Joe Biden has long struggled to express before dropping out of the 2024 race. On Sunday.
However, the fact that Harris is a Democrat standard bearer has now come under increased scrutiny.
Speaking about his record as a prosecutor in California, Harris said, “I took on all kinds of criminals: robbers who abused women; swindlers who ripped off consumers; swindlers who broke the rules for their own gain.”
“So listen to me, I know the type of Donald Trump,” he said.
His quip was met with chants of “lock her up” in packed high school gymnasiums, echoing chants of “lock her up” when Trump confronted Hillary Clinton at rallies in 2016.
Harris noted that within two days of Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing his running mate, he had enough support from DNC delegates to become the party’s nominee. He also nodded that Wisconsin will play a key role in the race for 270 Electoral College votes.
“The road to the White House goes through Wisconsin. We’re counting on you here in Milwaukee to win in Wisconsin. And you helped us win in 2020. And we’ll win again in 2024,” he said.
He tried to run an economic message that was more clear and forward-looking than Biden’s case for his own achievements.
“Building the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” Harris told supporters.
Harris pointed to what he called Trump’s “overarching 2025 agenda.” Trump has rejected a Heritage Foundation-backed policy plan created by many of his former staffers. However, many of its conservative and controversial proposals have become central planks in Democratic attacks on Trump.
“We will not go back,” she vowed, as the crowd chanted, “We will not go back.”
Tuesday’s rally in Wisconsin came at the end of a 48-hour stretch that upended the 2024 race.
By Monday night, less than 36 hours after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed his running mate, Harris had secured enough commitments from Democratic National Convention delegates to effectively lock up the nomination.
Between Sunday and Monday he raised more than $100 million from 1.1 million different donors — 62% of whom were first-time contributors — a Harris campaign official said. The huge numbers reflect new energy in what has been a poor Democratic base.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Harris at a news conference on Tuesday.
“Now that this process has played out from the bottom up, from the bottom up, we’re here today to throw our support behind it,” Harris said of Schumer.
Two-term Gov. Tony Evers and up for re-election this year, Sen. Top Wisconsin Democratic officials have also endorsed Harris, including Tommy Baldwin. They were among a long list of Democratic officials and candidates who appeared with the vice president on Tuesday.
Harris’ campaign inherited the infrastructure set up during Biden’s candidacy, with 48 consolidated offices in 43 counties in Wisconsin, including 160 full-time staffers.
The campaign has also gotten a boost in its organizing since Harris announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination, with more than 58,000 people signing up to volunteer as of Tuesday morning — up from nearly 30,000 announced Monday afternoon.
The trip to Wisconsin — one of three “blue wall” states — along with Pennsylvania and Michigan — was Harris’ fifth this year and ninth since becoming vice president.
With Biden as the Democratic nominee, the party’s path to winning 270 Electoral College votes went directly through these states.
The same may be true for Harris. Still, it’s too early to tell if another route — which includes the Sun Belt swing states of Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia — could be a big part of Harris’ calculation.
Roy Cooper of one of those states, North Carolina, and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, another state, are on his list of vice-presidential picks, which also includes Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and others.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm Covington & Burling will investigate Harris’ running mate, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Auditions are already in full swing, Ohio Sen. Picking up on Beshear’s two-by-four rhetoric at JT Vance, he called the GOP vice presidential nominee a “phony” and a “phony,” while pointing out Trump’s transition from critic to MAGA heir. .
“The problem with JD Vance is that he has no faith. But I guess his partner is 34 years old,” Beshear said during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday night.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
