5 takeaways from Kamala Harris' rally-concert in Madison where she targeted young voters

MADISON – Vice President Kamala Harris brought her closing argument to Wisconsin's liberal stronghold Wednesday night for a high-energy rally packed with thousands of people — and plenty of star power.

The event, billed as her "When We Vote We Win" rally and concert, featured performances from musicians Gracie Abrams, Mumford & Sons, Remi Wolf, and Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner from The National.

"Madison, we have the opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other," Harris told the crowd of more than 13,000 people at the Alliant Energy Center. "That is who he is, but Madison, that is not who we are."

She later added, "And in less than 90 days, it's either gonna be him or me in the Oval Office."

Here are some takeaways from Harris' event, which was held the same night Trump rallied supporters near Green Bay.

Harris speaks to students, young adults and first-time voters

Many in the crowd were UW-Madison students and other young voters.

And during her 22-minute speech, Harris focused some of her comments directly at them.

"Every day I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time. And I love your generation. I just love you guys. And let me tell you why," Harris said to cheers. "One of the reasons is you all are rightly impatient for change."

She praised young people for pushing to address issues like climate change, gun violence and abortion rights.

"I see you and I see your power," Harris said. "I see your power. And I am so proud of you. Can we hear it for our first time voters?"

She added, “There is nothing in the world that will stand in my way of fighting for you.”

Like a concert with get-out-the-vote vibes

Harris supporters began streaming into the arena at about 3 p.m. to a mix of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift songs. Rain started coming down by 5:30 p.m., but hundreds of people stayed in line waiting to get inside.

One sign invited people to make friendship bracelets — a nod to global superstar Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris in September.

And a banner across the stage read "Badgers for Harris-Walz," a nod to the critical role UW-Madison students and other young voters are expected to play in the election.

For a number of the young voters who packed into the arena, it was the first political rally they'd ever attended. And the musicians provided extra incentive.

"I might get to be in the room with our future president," said Jessica Amaya, 29, of Chicago. "Why not be here?"

Amaya, who joined her cousin, a UW-Madison freshman named Michelle Leon at the event, said she was a big fan of Mumford & Sons.

"It is incredibly empowering to see a woman of color on the ballot and have a chance," Amaya said. "I never thought I would see that so early in my lifetime."

Leon, also from Chicago, registered to vote in Wisconsin where she said her vote would make more of a difference. She said the process on campus was easy to navigate.

For Blackhawk Technical College student Lou McCully, Wednesday's event marked their third rally. McCully, who uses they/them pronouns, said LGBTQ rights were important to them and their girlfriend.

Harris was the main draw for McCully. But the music didn't hurt.

"I. Love. Gracie. Abrams." McCully said.

Abrams and the other musicians urged people to vote.

"We've inherited a world that is struggling and it's easy to feel disconnected and disillusioned," Abrams said. "Between the advent of social media in our childhoods, and COVID, and relentlessly targeted disinformation, we've been through some things. And it's easy to be discouraged. But we know better. We know that unless we vote and keep our democracy intact, there is nothing we will be able to do to fix it when it is our turn."

And Marcus Mumford, frontman of Mumford and Sons, said that as a California native, he was proud to vote for Harris and Tim Walz.

Gov. Tony Evers makes a 'Mean Girls' reference

Gov. Tony Evers urged rallygoers to back Democrats up and down the ticket, and made sure to give a shout out to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is locked in a tight race against businessman Eric Hovde.

"He doesn't even go here!" Evers said, riffing on a popular line from the movie "Mean Girls" and a jab at Hovde's California ties.

To thunderous applause, Evers said the era of gerrymandered maps was over. He also said Democrats will protect abortion rights, take climate change seriously and support LGBTQ rights.

"Your vote will matter now more than ever," he said.

Evers also mispronounced Harris' name, but insisted that she wouldn't hold it against him.

"I know her," Evers said. "She will forgive me."

Badgers women's volleyball players get hugs from Harris

As Harris entered the Alliant Energy Center, she was greeted by Evers and the University of Wisconsin-Madison women's volleyball team.

The team members gasped as Harris hugged them individually, and told them it was good to meet them. She also told the Badgers, who are ranked 7th, that they have "an extraordinary team."

One of the players could be heard telling her, "You're so pretty."

Rally comes amid dead heat in final stretch of campaign

The event came as Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump are making a final push in Wisconsin and other swing states ahead Election Day, which is Tuesday. The two candidates are in a dead heat, according to a Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday.

Democrats have consistently expanded their share of the vote and overall turnout in Dane County, Wisconsin’s fastest-growing county. And they're clearly hoping to continue that trend.

But Republicans are trying to make gain in Dane. Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. held an event in Madison Tuesday night where they urged attendees to vote for Trump and convince family and friends to do the same.

Jacob Fischer, a Trump campaign spokesman, said, "I don't think Wisconsinites will buy Kamala's desperate attempt to rewrite her disastrous record."

Harris and Trump, as well as their running mates and surrogates for the campaigns, have become regular visitors to Wisconsin and other battleground states in recent months.

On Monday, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, visited Racine and Wausau while Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, made stops in Manitowoc and Waukesha to court Republicans considering voting for Harris.

Both Harris and Trump are expected to be back in Wisconsin on Friday.

This story was updated to include new information.

Mary Spicuzza can be reached at [email protected] and on X at @MSpicuzzaMJS. Laura Schulte can be reached at [email protected] and on X at @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from Harris rally in Madison featuring Gracie Abrams