Kamala Harris fires up massive Milwaukee crowd with unique convention week campaign rally
In effect, the Harris-Walz ticket sold out two arenas in one night during the DNC, one in Chicago, one in the largest city in one of the most closely contested swing states.
The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.
Moments after the Democratic National Convention’s roll call vote came to a close, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to an ecstatic crowd at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where an estimated 15,000 people gathered to watch the nominee speak.
Harris delivered a rousing speech to an audience that was absolutely on fire with a palpable energy permeating the very same arena where Donald Trump delivered his convention speech at the Republican National Convention just over a month ago. It was very much a campaign rally speech and this was very much a campaign rally — albeit one held in rather unique circumstances.
Because just down the road, the Democratic Party was hosting its convention at the United Center in Chicago. Harris took the stage in Milwaukee just as she officially, formally, ceremoniously became the Democratic nominee, following the delegate votes cast during the DNC’s roll call. They pulled off a nifty bit of stagecraft on the broadcast, bouncing between the two cities, the two arenas, as Harris enthusiastically accepted the nomination.
“The baton is now in our hands,” said Harris.
Perhaps it is a bit unconventional to be holding a campaign rally just up the road from where the actual convention was taking place. But we know how important Wisconsin is to winning this election. So, why not hold a rally there, fire up supporters, and sell out two NBA arenas in the Midwest on the same night? And if one of those sellout events happens in the very same place where Republicans held their convention, all the better.
Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor and Harris’ running mate, hit the Fiserv Forum stage first, saying, “They got a little party going on in Chicago, they didn't know the big party was here in Milwaukee tonight.”
This was the scene as Walz took the stage.
“Something is happening,” said Walz, reacting to the enthusiasm of the campaign and the energy in Milwaukee.
Being there in the arena, the energy felt like that of a Milwaukee Bucks playoff game — all the way through to the terrific set from DJ Shawna, getting the crowd fired up before the rally.
Even though Harris' campaign is less than a month old, a number of applause lines rang out among the attendees — “We’re not going back!” being perhaps the highlight. Which, interestingly, began rather organically at Harris’ first official campaign rally in West Allis on July 24. With Harris’ remarks as the event came to a close, the crowd erupted in cheers.
This is not like other presidential campaigns. There’s no way it could be, given the circumstances of how it started. But there’s a sense permeating that this doesn’t have to be like other campaigns. Holding a rally in a swing state just up the road from the convention, while the convention is happening? Sure, why not? And pack the house while you’re at it.
There’s a part of this that all feels so refreshing. It’s easy to meme it up about being unburdened by what has been, but that genuinely does feel like what this campaign is experiencing — embracing the organic crowd chants, selecting Walz as the vice presidential running mate and leaning into his midwestern sensibilities, rediscovering the joy of the moment and allowing it to fuel the campaign. It is absolutely meeting the moment in ways I don’t think anyone could have anticipated.
Convention speeches from Walz (Wednesday) and Harris (Thursday) are still coming. They will undoubtedly be tremendously important speeches. But Milwaukee got a taste of what’s to come, and if the reaction is anything like that of the thousands of people in attendance at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, the Democratic Party is going to be leaving Chicago on Friday riding a wave of enthusiasm and energy, hoping it carries through to Election Day on Nov. 5.
MORE: I joined the good folks at Civic Media for their evening Special Report broadcast, live from the DNC in Chicago. Watch that full episode here.
You can see more of Civic Media’s DNC coverage, including live updates from me on the grounds at Fiserv Forum — and in Chicago, starting tomorrow! — here.
Want to see even more photos from the rally? I was there with Civic Media’s Jorge Reyna, who captured some incredible photos of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and the raucous Milwaukee crowd.
Check them all out here.
Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 18 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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“Unique“? I guess. She’s taking the typical dog and pony show concept to a level matching pro wrestling.
There is nothing less pathetic about this than any GOP gathering. Absolutely nothing I’m embarrassed to be part of the Confederacy…….of dunces. Anyone consenting to this bullshit is getting exactly the government they deserve.