Updated twice regarding crowd size from the Harris-Walz campaign.
LAS VEGAS – Vice President Kamala Harris teamed with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for a presidential campaign rally late Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center basketball and concert arena.
Harris' closing comments in Las Vegas: 'We will govern on behalf of all Americans'
7:57 p.m. update:
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke for about 30 minutes before ending her Las Vegas rally on an upbeat note of unity.
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team.
“We are here together because we love our country, and I do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country,” she said.
She marveled at the story of two middle-class kids — one from Oakland who worked at McDonald’s and the other from Nebraska working on a farm — who teamed up for something so momentous.
“Think about it,” Harris said. “Only in America is it possible that the two of them would be running together all the way to the White House.
“We are running this campaign on behalf of all Americans, from red states to blue states, from the heartland to the coast. And when elected, we will govern on behalf of all Americans.”
And then she contrasted her campaign with former President Donald Trump’s.
“I believe we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” she asked. “A country of chaos and fear, or a country of freedom, compassion and …”
Her last word was drowned out by the cheering, stomping crowd.
“The beauty of our democracy is each person has the power to answer that question because the power is with the people.”
The crowd of about 15,000, according to the campaign, grew louder and louder as Harris neared the end of her remarks until finally it was just a roar about freedom.
Then Beyoncé's song “Freedom” boomed out of the speakers and everyone was on their feet.
Walz and Nevada’s congressional delegation came out to join hands and bow to the crowd on one side and then the other.
Walz climbed down into the crowd surrounding the stage to shake hands and take selfies, including one with Washoe County School Board President Beth Smith, who flew down from Reno.
Harris vows to sign bipartisan border security bill at Las Vegas rally
7:10 p.m. update:
In Las Vegas, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed many of the Republican criticisms against her head-on.
“We know our immigration system is broken, and we know what it takes to fix it: Comprehensive reform that includes, yes, strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship,” she told a thunderous crowd.
“But Donald Trump doesn't want to fix this problem. He talks a big game — he talks a big game about a lot of things — but he talks a big game about border security, but he does not walk the walk. Earlier this year, we had a chance to pass the toughest bipartisan border security bill in decades, but Donald Trump tanked the bill because he thought it would help him win an election.”
Harris vowed to sign that bill into law.
“Nevada, ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom,” she said.
Harris: As a former prosecutor, 'I know Donald Trump's type'
7:04 p.m. update:
Kamala Harris took the stage to a roaring crowd, stomping their feet, at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.
Her remarks began with shout-outs to President Joe Biden for his lifetime of service, and to American Olympians.
A chant of “USA, USA” interrupted her.
She described her time as a courtroom prosecutor and took on perpetrators of all kinds.
“So Nevada, hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris said.
She mentioned taking on a large for-profit college that scanned students.
“Well, Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students," she said. “As a prosecutor, I specialize in cases of sexual abuse. Well, Donald Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse.”
Harris said the presidential campaign was not just about Trump.
“It is about two different visions for our nation: one, ours, focused on the future; the other focused on the past,” she said.
Another chant interrupted her with “We won’t go back!”
Walz talks about crowds, crime, reproductive rights at Las Vegas rally
6:50 p.m. update:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage before introducing Vice President Kamala Harris. He said they had to close doors to the arena early due to the heat and turned thousands of attendees away.
"But don't worry," he told the crowd. "We're going to be back a lot."
The crowd interrupted Walz's remarks with chants of "coach, coach, coach." Walz was a football coach for a Minnesota high school in the 1990s.
Walz also talked about crime and reproductive rights during his stump speech:
- "I just want to set the record straight, because facts do matter and there's not an alternative set of facts. Violent crime was up during the Trump presidency, and that's even not counting his crimes."
- "I'm sure it's true here in Nevada, as it's true in Minnesota: we respect our neighbors’ rights to make their own personal choices. We don't have to agree with them or make the same choice, but we know that in this nation, things work best when you mind your own damn business."
- "These are the guys that believe government should be free to invade your examine room with your doctor. … I don't need any help from those guys telling me which books to read."
- "When you hear Kamala Harris and I talk about freedom, we're very clear about this. We mean the freedom to make your own health care decisions."
12,000 in attendance at Harris' Las Vegas rally
6:30 p.m. update:
Thomas & Mack Center is mostly full with 12,000 people in attendance to see the top of the Democratic ticket. Yesterday, an estimated 15,000 people attended a Harris-Walz rally in Phoenix.
Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and a snippet of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” plays as the final prelude to Vice President Kamala Harris gets underway. Las Vegas schoolteacher Tillie Torres introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who will then introduce Harris.
Attendees at Harris-Walz rally in Las Vegas cite fear, hope as motivation
5:25 p.m. update:
Don Emigholz came to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign rally Saturday in Las Vegas for one reason and one reason only: former President Donald Trump.
“I'm terrified of Trump,” he said. “I just wanted to be part of the movement to keep Trump out of the White House. It's all about anti-Trump.”
Kelsye McCullough came to see Vice President Kamala Harris with her toddler daughter Poppy and her husband Michael McCullough.
“I'm hoping for a better future for our daughter, reproductive freedom and not fascism,” she said.
Michael wore a “White Dudes for Harris” T-shirt.
“White guys generally have not historically stood up for disenfranchised communities,” he said.
“I am certainly not a leader in that space. But it’s about showing solidarity.”
Harris-Wallz rally in Las Vegas becomes sing-along as crowd awaits speakers
4:40 p.m. update:
DJ D-Nice ratcheted up the party vibe at the Harris-Walz campaign rally Saturday in Las Vegas, sending people to their feet and dancing while waving their cellphones on flashlight mode and holding signs with campaign slogans like “When we vote, we win.”
The inside of Thomas & Mack Center sports and concert arena is thumping with bass-heavy clips from monster hits by Michael Jackson, ABBA, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Queen, Madonna, Journey, Run-DMC with Aerosmith, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar.
When Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played, DJ D-Nice would cut out the music so the crowd numbering well over 10,000 could sing along a cappella.
The temperature and humidity inside has also increased as the upper reaches of the home to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels’ basketball team begins to fill up.
Washoe County School Board President Beth Smith and Reno City Councilman Devon Reese were bobbing to the beat and singing along.
“We are one state from North to South,” Reese said.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my 50 years. It’s amazing to see people from all walks of life, all ages, all faiths, all ethnic backgrounds and all parts of the state embrace the positive message and campaigning of the Harris-Walz team.”
Smith said the energy and power inside the arena shows that Nevada is uniting behind Harris and Walz.
“This is what it looks like when Americans get fired up to protect public education, reproductive rights and the democracy of our nation,” she said.
“I'm so grateful to be here in this moment and can’t wait to carry back this excitement to Washoe County.”
Speakers announced for Harris rally in Las Vegas
3:20 p.m. update:
A few thousand people have already taken their seats at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, about three hours before Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to take the stage.
A steady stream of R&B hits has provided the soundtrack for the upbeat crowd, including multiple selections from Beyoncé, along with Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder.
Some songs seem chosen for their titles: the '70s funk jam “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” from McFadden & Whitehead and Bob Marley’s reggae obscurity “Sun Is Shining.”
Regular chants break out among the crowd with shouts of “When we vote, we win” and “We won’t go back.”
The speaker list for the campaign rally was just finalized.
DJ D-Nice — who founded the pioneering Bronx rap group Boogie Down Productions with KRS-One — will take over musical duties.
The first set of scheduled speakers will be:
- Bryce Brady, impact organizer for the Nevada Democratic Coordinated Campaign
- Satoria Partridge with Culinary Union Local 226
- U.S. representatives from southern Nevada Susie Lee, Steven Horsford and Dina Titus
- U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto
Then there will be a break, followed by:
- Las Vegas teacher Tillie Torres
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
- Vice President Kamala Harris
Before Vegas rally, Republicans call Harris-Walz ticket 'dangerously liberal'
2:55 p.m. update:
A statement from the Republican National Committee ahead of the Harris-Walz rally in Las Vegas portrays the vice president and her running mate as dangerous for the country.
Minnesota Gov. Tim “Walz has refused to acknowledge the crisis at our border, repeatedly supported tax hikes, and has imposed woke policies on students in schools throughout his state,” said the RNC’s Nevada communications director, Halee Dobbins.
“His track record of supporting far-left policies would be disastrous for Nevadans, who under Kamala Harris have experienced firsthand the determinantal impacts of her own failed policies. A visit from Harris and Walz to the Silver State will do nothing to distract Nevada voters from the horrible reality of Kamala Harris’ economic policies and sky-high inflation.”
She added, “The only way to stop a dangerously liberal Harris-Walz agenda is to vote for President Trump and JD Vance this November 5."
Las Vegas Harris rally attendee says she's not watching polls
2:30 p.m. update:
Leneatha Reynolds’ husband is a disabled veteran. Just before she left to attend the Harris-Walz campaign rally Saturday in Las Vegas, he made her a shirt to wear.
On the front it’s got the word “Nevada” with photos of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. On the back, it says: “Harris-Walz 2024 – Leading the way – No restrictions on abortion.”
“I think Kamala Harris is the right person to do the job,” Reynolds said while standing in the concourse of Thomas & Mack Center sports and concert arena.
“She’s going to get this country moving forward and make sure that the people that want to turn us back don’t succeed.”
Asked about polls showing a close race in Nevada between Harris and former President Donald Trump, Reynolds said she doesn’t believe in polls.
“When people see, ‘Oh, she’s down a few points’ or maybe ‘She’s up a few points,’ the polls tend to make a lot of people stay home,” she said.
“A lot of people get discouraged but I'm not one to get discouraged. It makes me want to fight that much harder to win, to tell everyone that Kamala Harris will be our next president in November in spite of the polls.”
"We have to win back the house and protect our majority in the Senate'
2:05 p.m. update:
At the Kamala Harris event, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford from North Las Vegas said he was born and raised in Nevada and that the state represents America’s diversity.
“We are a multiracial, multigenerational community,” he said. “And now Donald Trump wants to take us back, take away opportunities and freedoms from the very people that the vice president and Democrats are fighting for.”
Because of this, Horsford said, Nevadans have a very specific job to do over the next 87 days.
“And that’s not winning just the White House,” he said, “we have to win back the House and protect our majority in the Senate.”
Horsford said he’s seeing a much higher level of enthusiasm and energy with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.
“We have hundreds if not thousands of volunteers out now every single day to help turn out voters, and that’s what it’s going to take,” he said.
“Donald Trump and Trump’s Project 2025 is about power and they’re not going to let that go, but the people have more power when they show up and vote.”
Pro-Harris shirt sales outside Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas
1:25 p.m. update:
Robin Smith sells T-shirts with the slogan “If you've got something to say, say it to my face” outside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign stop.
It’s the most common slogan on attendees’ T-shirts.
It refers to a challenge Harris leveled at her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, earlier this week in Georgia when she challenged him to a debate. Trump subsequently accepted.
“I'm almost 70 years old,” Smith said. “I've never been active in politics, I just talked a lot.”
But after Harris entered the race when President Joe Biden dropped out, she was inspired.
“I'm out here to do what I can do now,” Smith said.
Her husband Ron Smith is an Air Force veteran who worries that Trump and his running mate JD Vance won’t protect the country and maintain its good reputation in the world.
“I can't depend on a person who has control of the military if they’re a little wacky,” he said.
Asked if the Harris-Walz ticket was too liberal to capture voters in the political center, Robin Smith said no.
“She is for everyone,” Smith said. “I think that's what America is: It’s not just one type of person. We're diverse. You have the gay rights people, you have the military people, you have the older people and Kamala is for all people.”
Original story:
LAS VEGAS – Vice President Kamala Harris will team with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, late Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center basketball and concert arena.
The Harris-Walz campaign considers Nevada crucial to its path to White House as evidenced by its 13 offices throughout the state and nearly 100 staff on the ground.
"In Nevada, we are running the largest in-state operation of any coordinated campaign ever," a campaign spokesperson said.
Harris faces a very different landscape than during her previous six campaign events in Nevada this year.
For one, now she’s the Democrats’ presidential nominee rather than campaigning for President Joe Biden.
For another, Vice President Harris is filling a much bigger venue. Her past events had audiences in the hundreds. Thomas & Mack Center holds up to 19,522 seats for boxing matches.
For comparison, Biden’s Las Vegas campaign rally ahead of February’s presidential primary was in a community gym that fit about 200 people.
Part of the reason Harris can command larger venues is that major momentum fuels her campaign as she’s still in the public honeymoon phase coming off Biden’s withdrawal three weeks ago, her nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention later this month and her selection of Walz as her vice presidential pick.
All of this attention has caused a boost in the polls, including in Nevada where she has a 2-point lead over former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. The Cook Political Report this week moved Nevada from “leaning Republican” in its forecast of the presidential election to “toss-up.”
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.
