Vice President Kamala Harris sought to contrast her prosecutorial role as a former California attorney general against former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, a top battleground state.
It was the second time in two days, following a stop at campaign headquarters in Delaware on Tuesday, that Harris signaled the key theme of her nascent campaign will be focused on a tough persona as one of the nation's top prosecutors against Trump, who has battled multiple legal cases since leaving the White House.
"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, cheaters who broke the rules for their own game," Harris stated, echoing statements she made on Tuesday. "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."
Harris continued to denigrate Trump's past legal problems, including being found liable for defaming and sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial, along with a Manhattan jury finding Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
A top moment for Harris at the rally came when she reiterated her support for restoring abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The comments signal that abortion will be another top theme for Harris, who, as the nation's first woman vice president, had previously become a top defender of "reproductive freedom."
"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 body and not have their government tell them what to do," Harris said as the crowd exploded in approval. "And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as president of the United States, I will sign it into law."
The Tuesday event marks her first campaign rally since gaining enough delegates to put her on the path to becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee in the wake of President Joe Biden 's departure.
"So, Wisconsin, I am told as of this morning that we have earned the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination," Harris said to roaring applause. "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."
Harris has raised $100 million since Sunday, when Biden suspended his campaign, and has earned at least 3,004 delegates, surpassing the 1,976 delegates needed to earn the nomination, according to an Associated Press survey . On Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsed Harris in a joint press conference.
"She is ready. She is willing. She is able to energetically and emphatically lead America into the future," Jeffries said. "Kamala Harris is a commonsense leader who knows how to deliver real results for hardworking American taxpayers."
Delegates will select the nominee either during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month or possibly through a virtual roll call ahead of the convention.
Top Wisconsin Democrats appeared with Harris during her stop in the Badger State, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who is defending her seat against Republican Eric Hovde and introduced Harris before she spoke, and Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI).
"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," Baldwin said. "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."
The rally comes mere days after the GOP ended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) accepted the presidential and vice presidential nominations.
Harris visited campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday evening, where Biden voiced his support for the vice president. "I'm watching you, kid," Biden told Harris in a phone call. "I love ya."
As Harris spoke in Milwaukee, the Trump campaign and leaders from the National Border Patrol Council held a press call slamming her record handling the immigration crisis at the southern border. Tony Fabrizio, Trump's pollster, released a memo just before Harris spoke downplaying "The Harris Honeymoon."
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"Given what has happened over the past couple of days and her impending VP choice, there is
no question that Harris will get her bump earlier than the Democrat’s Convention," he cautioned. "And that bump is likely to start showing itself over the next few days and will last a while until the race
settles back down."
Fabrizio claimed that this phrase will end once voters "refocus on her role as Biden’s partner and co-pilot."
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