‘Let’s get this thing done:’ Harris and Walz campaign in Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 18: Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrive to a campaign event at Wright Bros. Aero, Inc. on August 18, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harris and Walz will take part in a Pennsylvania bus tour and visit multiple cities in western Pennsylvania. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz campaigned in western Pennsylvania on Sunday, taking a bus to communities in Allegheny and Beaver counties to speak directly with voters in this crucial swing state.

Joined by their spouses Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, Sunday was the running mates’  first appearance in the western end of the state together, and came the day before the Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago.

Harris and Walz arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport shortly after 1 p.m. and were greeted by a cheering crowd of roughly 100 people, posing for selfies before boarding the tour bus and hitting the road. They visited several key Pittsburgh-area locales in the roughly six-hour visit, including a Primanti Bros. and a Sheetz – where Harris picked up some Doritos.

To start the tour, the candidates and their spouses boarded a tour-style bus with their names emblazoned on the side, and headed first to a campaign field office in Rochester, where they participated in a phone bank and spoke to supporters.

Walz told the gathering in Rochester that Harris was drawing such large crowds at her rallies because she is “bringing out the joy” to the campaign. “It is so much better to be for something rather than against something, to be for the future,” Walz said. He added he could remember a time “when you could go to Thanksgiving, watch a Steelers game with your relatives and not complain about politics the whole time.”

Walz, a former high school football coach, spoke about coming into football country, and used a game metaphor to describe the stakes of the election.

“When that game’s over, you want to know you left it all on the field, and that’s all we’re asking. Let’s give it all the field. Let’s get this thing done,” he said.

Harris told the gathering in Rochester her campaign was born out of love for her country.

“When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for,” she said. “When you stand for working people, you fight for working people. When you stand for freedom, whether it be to make decisions about your own body or love who you love, you fight for those things.”

“That’s what our election is about,” she added.

She also spoke about a “perversion” in politics over the past few years that suggests “that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, when what we know is the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”

The bus tour stopped next at a firehouse in Aliquippa, where Harris presented the firefighters with a burnt almond torte from Prantl’s Bakery, a specialty of western Pennsylvania. They headed next to Aliquippa High School’s football stadium, home of the 2023 undefeated state champion Quips team.

Harris told the team that it was not easy being a role model, but that she was counting on them to be the next generation of leaders.

“Being a role model means that members of your family, people you know in the neighborhood, others in your classes, they watch to see what you do,” she said. “And you all take on that responsibility …  and inspire people you may not even know to want to be like you.”

Harris and Walz were joined on the tour by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District), whose district includes parts of Allegheny and Beaver counties, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), as well as former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis (a fitting guest for a bus tour, given that his nickname as a player was “The Bus.”)

Deluzio, a Navy veteran, blasted Harris’ Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, for his comments about veterans and members of the military.

“In almost any family around here, someone’s worn a uniform, someone stepped up to serve,” Deluzio said. “It’s who we are, and they spit on that service. Think about that. It’s not just disrespecting our culture, it’s disrespecting our service.”

Trump campaign spokesperson Kush Desai criticized Harris’ economic proposal and “flip-flops” on policy issues in a statement Sunday. “Kamala Harris has a lot of questions to answer for everyday Pennsylvanians,” Desai said. “And while Kamala hasn’t been and won’t be answering unscripted questions any time soon, Pennsylvanians know better than to buy her lies, spin, and gaslighting anyway.”

Harris did speak with reporters, however, answering questions after greeting diners at a Primanti Bros’ restaurant in Moon, the tour’s final stop before heading back to the airport. There was a sizable group of Trump supporters protesting outside the restaurant as Harris and the tour bus arrived.

She declined to “speak for” Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu, when asked if she thought he was ready to agree to a ceasefire deal. “I will tell you that these conversations are ongoing and we are not giving up,” Harris said. “We are going to continue to work very hard on this. We’ve got to get a ceasefire, and we’ve got to get the hostages.”

Harris also was asked if she felt like she had to make up ground in Pennsylvania.

“I feel like we need to earn every vote, and that means being on the road, being in communities where people are, where they live,” she said, “So I’m gonna be out here with Tim, with the second gentleman, with Mrs. Walz, and we’re gonna be working on earning every vote between now and November.”

Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee earlier this month by a roll call vote of Democratic National Committee delegates, after President Joe Biden bowed out of his reelection bid July 21 and endorsed her.

Sunday marked Harris’ eighth visit to Pennsylvania this year, and her 18th visit since being sworn into office. She introduced Walz as her running mate on Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. She also appeared in Philadelphia to court Asian-American voters on July 13 and has also made stops this cycle in Pittsburgh to tout the administration’s infrastructure investments; in Philadelphia to discuss student debt with educators ; and in Montgomery County to speak in support of reproductive rights .

Although he visited the eastern half of the state several times in 2024, Biden only made one campaign stop in western Pennsylvania, visiting the United Steelworkers in April ahead of the state’s primary election.

Trump campaigned in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, and is holding a press conference in York on Monday. His running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) will also be in Pennsylvania on Monday, at a separate press conference in Philadelphia.

Trump did not mention abortion at the rally in Wilkes-Barre, a key issue that Harris has led on for the Biden administration and during the campaign. But in addition to declaring “I’m a better looking person than Kamala”  at Saturday’s rally, Trump criticized Harris’ economic policies.

“Inflation has been devastating under this group of people that have no idea what the hell they’re doing,” Trump said. “Are you better off with Kamala and Biden than you were under President Donald J. Trump? I don’t think so.”

The annual inflation rate was 2.9% in July , the lowest rate since 2021, but both campaigns have put the economy front and center, as it remains top of mind for voters. Harris unveiled an economic proposal on Friday which included plans to ease rent increases, boost first-time home buyers, end grocery price gouging and bolster the child tax credit.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Aug. 14 shows Harris slightly leading Trump among likely voters in Pennsylvania, with three third-party candidates factored in. Harris polled especially well with women, Quinnipiac found.

“With all five contenders factored in, Harris has an edge overall, with strong support from women in must-win Pennsylvania,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a press release.

After Sunday’s tour of western Pennsylvania, Harris and Walz were scheduled to head to Chicago. He’ll address the DNC on Wednesday, and she will formally accept Democrats’ nomination for president on Thursday.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com . Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and X .