LIVE: VP Kamala Harris FIRST CAMPAIGN EVENT

LIVE: VP Kamala Harris FIRST CAMPAIGN EVENT

[Applause] Thank you.

[Music] Hello, I love all of you. Thank you. Wisconsin, how the heck are you? You know, you know, guys, I don't get wound up about much, but on the Tony Evers excitement scale that goes from "holy mackerel" to "heck yes," I am jazzed as hell to be welcoming our next Democratic nominee to Wisconsin, Vice President Kamala Harris! Are you ready to hear from the next President of the United States of America? Yes, me too. After listening to all the Republicans who dropped by here for a few days last week, it'll be nice, nice to finally hear someone who knows something about getting things done for the great state of Wisconsin.

Vice President Kamala Harris is ready to lead from day one. She's already proven herself to be a tenacious leader: District Attorney, Attorney General, and U.S. Senator. And as our Vice President, Kamala has vigorously defended our democracy, fought hard to protect the freedoms that we hold dear, and worked tirelessly to do the right thing and deliver for us. And that's why yesterday I joined my favorite Midwestern Governors Davy Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, and Tim Walz to announce that I am all in on Kamala Harris. So the question is, the question I have for all of you here today: are you all in, Wisconsin? Yes, yes, you're there because we've got a lot of work to do. We have 105 days, and we do not have a minute to waste. This is an all-hands-on-deck, make-or-break moment for our democracy here in the great state of Wisconsin.

Here's the truth about two guys in this race: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are a dangerous threat to our country and to our democracy. They're not running to help others; they're running to serve themselves. They're not capable of being honest or telling the truth. And Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have a radical, radical agenda, and they plan to pursue it if they get into the Oval Office. If you haven't seen it, Google Project 2025. It looks like you already have! Look it up when you get home and send it on to others. It's extraordinarily horrible. And we all know that they'll work hard to enact a national abortion ban. Trump's running mate J.D. Vance has said that loud and clear. And I'm serious; look it up if you don't believe it. Vance said he'd like abortion to be, quote, "illegal nationally." We're going to stop him! He called the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe historic, and, quote, "put a new era of society into motion." We have to stop that motion, folks, and I'll tell that to Wisconsin women who've spent a year experiencing what it's like to live in a state that bans nearly all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest. If that's the new society Donald and Vance want, they're going to have to sell it someplace else because we don't want it here, and we're going to let them know that next November.

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's path to seizing power, destroying our democracy, and taking away our freedoms runs right through the state of Wisconsin, and we are going to stop them. We have a choice this November. The choice has never been clearer. We have a choice between those who want more for themselves and someone who wants better for all of us. We have a choice between those who want to conquer by dividing and someone who wants to build by unifying. We have a choice between those who want to turn back to the past and someone who wants to go forward into the future.

So, here's what we're going to do, Wisconsin: we're going to work hard for a battle-tested leader who's not afraid of the truth. We're going to work hard over the next 100 days for a person who puts people first. We're going to deliver Wisconsin for a woman who has never forgotten where she came from or the state that helped raise her. And we are going to help elect the first woman as President of the United States of America, and her name is Kamala Harris!

Whoa, today is a brand-new day, Wisconsin, and we've only got 105 days left. Let's make them count. Let's get to work, and let's win this damn thing. Let's go! Thank you, thank you. Please welcome United States Senator Tammy Baldwin!

[Applause]

Hello, Wisconsin!

[Music]

Hello, Wisconsin!

I am so proud to be here today, and I want to start by thanking President Joe Biden for his incredible act of patriotism this weekend and for a lifetime of remarkable service to our country.

You know, today, people are paying less for their prescription drugs. Our state is back to work, fixing the damn roads, as our Governor likes to say. And millions of Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions have affordable health coverage because of the work of this President. And as we stand here today, we mark a new beginning for our party and for our country as we welcome our soon-to-be Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, back to our state.

Now, as California Attorney General, Kamala Harris was the top prosecutor for the largest state in our nation, standing up for the rule of law and taking on perpetrators of all kinds—which is the kind of experience that may come in handy these days. As a United States Senator, it was riveting to watch Senator Harris hold the powerful to account. And as Vice President, she has fought fervently to restore reproductive freedoms that were lost when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. I am so proud to support Kamala Harris for President of the United States.

And you know what, there's a reason that she's kicking things off right here in Wisconsin, because we are the battleground state. Wisconsin will likely decide who occupies the White House and which party controls the United States Senate. No pressure. And Wisconsin, for that U.S. Senate seat, I am being challenged by a self-funding multi-millionaire by the name of Eric Hovde. Now let me just tell you a little bit about him. Eric Hovde owns a $ 3 billion California bank. He owns a $ 7 million ocean-view mansion in Laguna Beach, and he's actually been named one of Orange County's most influential residents three years in a row. Folks, we have a Green County; we have a Brown County; we do not have an Orange County, Wisconsin! And you may laugh at that, but the stakes of this race are high.

Eric Hovde celebrated when Roe was overturned. He said he's 100 percent anti-choice. Meanwhile, I am the one leading the effort to restore reproductive freedoms with my Women's Health Protection Act. On healthcare, my opponent wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and kick millions off their health insurance, living without health insurance throughout my childhood due to a childhood illness. That is why I got into this fight in the first place. I wrote the provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows young people to stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26. And I will never stop fighting until all Americans have the quality, affordable healthcare they deserve.

And on the economy, Eric Hovde wants to cut Social Security and Medicare while giving—get this—while giving new tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and well-connected, just like himself. As your Senator, I will always fight to bring down the costs for working families and make sure that multi-millionaires like my opponent pay their fair share.

So, Wisconsin, in just 105 days, you will have a choice: a choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, a choice between me and my opponent, and the stakes of that choice could not be higher. So if you're with me in this fight, I ask you all to join my campaign at tammybaldwin.com or text "TAMMY" to 24007. I am looking out over this crowd, and I am so encouraged. I know that we will not only fight; I know that we will win. Thank you.

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Hello, Wisconsin! My name is Dr. Leah Esser, and I am so honored to be introducing the next President of the United States of America, Vice President Kamala Harris. As an educator, I am so proud of the work that I do to serve our state and teach the next generation of leaders. But if it were not for the Biden-Harris administration, I would still be obligated to student loan debt and unable to unconditionally serve the scholars I love. But thanks to the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to public service, I had almost all of my student loan debt forgiven, giving me the opportunity to serve the scholars I love without being burdened by debt.

This policy has changed my life, as well as the teachers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and many, many more with whom I serve our students in the state of Wisconsin. That is the kind of change we will be voting for when we elect Vice President Kamala Harris this November. Vice President Harris has been standing up for ordinary Americans her entire career, from her service as a prosecutor to her time as District Attorney, Attorney General, United States Senator, and Vice President of the United States. She has always stood for the people. As Attorney General, Vice President Harris stood up for the students who had been taken advantage of by for-profit colleges. And as Vice President, she fought for student debt relief. I know that when we elect her President of the United States, she will be fighting for us.

And just yesterday, she won the support of the delegates needed to lead our party. And now, it is my distinct honor to introduce the first woman elected Vice President of the United States, and the next President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

[Applause]

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[Music]

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Good afternoon.

[Applause]

Wisconsin, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. It is good to be back. Thank you all very much. Can we please hear it for Leah and her extraordinary story and leadership? And I do believe our teachers do God's work. They teach other people's children, and God knows we don't pay them enough. Let's thank her. And it is so good to be here and be back with so many extraordinary leaders, including my friend, the great Governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers. He's here somewhere, my dear friend Senator Tammy Baldwin, and you know I had the privilege of serving with Tammy when I was in the United States Senate, and she is always fighting for the people of this state. And I know that the folks that are here are going to make sure you return her to Washington, D.C., in November—yes, we are going to elect her back to Washington, D.C.

It is so good to be here also with Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, County Executive David Crowley, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and the great State Party Chair Ben Wikler. I have worked with Ben, and you and I have been working together for years, and I can attest he knows how to build the infrastructure that delivers wins up and down the ballot. Thank you, Ben.

So it is good to be back in Wisconsin, and it is great to be in Milwaukee. As many of you know, our state campaign headquarters are in this city, yes! And there is a reason for that. The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin. Yes, it does. And to win in Wisconsin, we are counting on you right here in Milwaukee. And you all helped us win in 2020, and in 2024, we will win again. Yes, we are.

So Milwaukee, I want to start by saying a few words—and I could really speak at length—but a few words about our incredible President Joe Biden. It has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as Vice President to our President Joe Biden. Joe's legacy of accomplishment over his entire career and over the past three and a half years is unmatched in modern history. In one term, think about it, in one term as president, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office. And I know we are all deeply, deeply grateful for his continuing service to our nation. And it is my great honor to have Joe Biden's endorsement in this race.

So Wisconsin, I am told as of this morning that we have earned the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. And I am so very honored, and I pledge to you: I will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in November.

So friends, we have 105 days until election day, and in that time, we've got some work to do, but we're not afraid of hard work. We like hard work, don't we? And we will win this election. Yes, we will!

So as Leah told you, before I was elected Vice President, before I was elected United States Senator, I was elected Attorney General of the State of California. And I was a courtroom prosecutor before then. And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, and cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump's type. And in this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.

As Attorney General of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges that was scamming students. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts.

But let's also make no mistake: this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. This campaign is about who we fight for. This is about who we fight for. Just look at how we are running our campaigns. So Donald Trump is relying on support from billionaires and big corporations, and he is trading access in exchange for campaign contributions.

A couple of months ago, y'all saw that a couple of months ago at Mar-a-Lago. He literally promised big oil companies—Big Oil lobbyists—he would do their bidding for a billion dollars in campaign donations. On the other hand, we are running a people-powered campaign. And we just had some breaking news: we just had the best 24 hours of grassroots fundraising in presidential campaign history. And because we are a people-powered campaign, that is how you know we will be a people-first presidency.

And Wisconsin, this campaign is also about two different visions for our nation: one where we are focused on the future, the other focused on the past. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead—a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every worker has the freedom to join a union, and where every person has affordable health care, affordable childcare, and paid family leave. We believe in a future where every senior can retire with dignity. So all of this is to say: building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency because here's the thing: we all here in Wisconsin know when our middle class is strong, America is strong.

But Donald Trump wants to take our country backward. He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda will weaken the middle class. Like, we know we've got to take this seriously. Can you believe they put that thing in writing? Read it. It's 900 pages. But here's the thing: when you read it, you will see Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare. He intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and make working families foot the bill. They intend to end the Affordable Care Act and take us back then to a time when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions. Remember what that was like? Children with asthma, women who survived breast cancer, and grandparents with diabetes. America has tried these failed economic policies before, but we are not going back. We are not going back. We are not going back, and I'll tell you why we're not going back: because ours is a fight for the future and it is a fight for freedom.

Generations of Americans—generations—and we have to remember this—the shoulders on which we stand, generations of Americans before us, led the fight for freedom. And now, Wisconsin, the baton is in our hands. We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will make sure every American has the ability to cast their ballot and have it counted. We who believe that every person in our nation should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence will finally pass red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban.

And we who believe in reproductive freedom will stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do. And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, I will sign it into law.

So Wisconsin, ultimately, in this election, we each face a question: what kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate? And here's the beauty of this moment: we each have the power to answer that question. The power is with the people. We each have the power to answer that question, and in the next 105 days, we have work to do. We have doors to knock on. We have phone calls to make. We have voters to register. And we have an election to win. So Wisconsin, today I ask you: are you ready to get to work? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win! God bless you, God bless the United States of America.

[Applause]

Keywords

• Kamala Harris
• Wisconsin
• Democratic nominee
• 2024 Election
• President Joe Biden
• Middle-class
• People's campaign
• Reproductive freedom
• Healthcare
• Affordable Care Act

FAQ

Q: Who introduced Kamala Harris at the event?
A: Dr. Leah Esser introduced Kamala Harris at the event.

Q: What roles has Kamala Harris held before?
A: Kamala Harris has served as District Attorney, Attorney General, U.S. Senator, and currently Vice President of the United States.

Q: What major policy areas did Kamala Harris emphasize in her speech?
A: Kamala Harris emphasized middle-class strengthening, healthcare, reproductive freedom, and voting rights.

Q: What is Project 2025?
A: Project 2025 is the agenda associated with Donald Trump, which Kamala Harris criticized for seeking to cut Social Security and Medicare, and end the Affordable Care Act.

Q: How did Kamala Harris describe her campaign strategy compared to Donald Trump's?
A: Kamala Harris's campaign is described as people-powered, focusing on grassroots fundraising, while she describes Donald Trump's campaign as reliant on billionaires and big corporations.