Harris fires up Black voters: 'The energy is so high now'

An electrified crowd filled a community college gymnasium outside Washington on Thursday -- supposedly to cheer lower drug prices, but the Democratic voters in attendance were more excited to celebrate White House candidate Kamala Harris.

"We love you," screamed one attendee, as the vice president took the floor alongside President Joe Biden at the event to highlight a deal reducing medication costs for retirees on social welfare programs.

It was the first joint appearance by Biden and Harris since the president announced on July 21 that he was dropping his reelection bid, paving the way for his deputy to take the top spot on the Democratic ticket.

"With Kamala Harris, we are very hopeful and we think she's going to do it," said Kimberly Pennamon, 53.

"Prior to the announcement of her candidacy, people were really feeling disengaged," she told AFP. "The energy is so high now."

The mostly African-American crowd was squeezed onto the benches of the school gymnasium in Prince George's County, a Democratic stronghold in Maryland where more than 89 percent voted for Biden in 2020.

Here, more than 60 percent of the population is Black, and many attendees had high hopes of seeing Harris, who could be the first Black woman, and the second Black person, to ascend to the Oval Office.

Some attendees said they hadn't gone to any political rallies since Barack Obama's successful presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Now, they say they feel inspired to do so again.

That was the case for Effie Hillian, 71, who came with a friend.

"We are very excited, very hopeful," the retired teacher said repeatedly, overflowing with enthusiasm.

- 'A Christmas Story' -

Regina Young, 68, noted that she supports Biden, saying "we love him."

"But the kind of things that people are anticipating happening are different because she's a woman, she's a woman of color, she's like a brilliant woman with lot of experience... people are very excited about that."

Retiree Mary Larkin said Harris "saved the country and she saved (Biden)."

"I was worried for him. I was very supportive of him, and I would have supported him every minute of the way, but I'm happy that he was the bigger person and stepped down and made room for new people," she said.

The 77-year-old snapped photos of Biden and the woman who she hopes will soon have the title "Madam President."

"It's a Christmas story I will tell to my grandkids," she said, gleefully.

In a sign that the star draw on Thursday was Harris, dozens of people started filing out of the gymnasium as Biden spoke, saying they wanted to beat the traffic out of the parking lot.