Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the Trumpy part of Pennsylvania Friday but it was folks on her side of the aisle that caused a stir.
The Democratic nominee held a Friday evening rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, filling the McHale Athletic Center on Wilkes University’s downtown campus with more than 5,000 supporters in a county Trump won by nearly 15 points.
About 15 minutes into her speech, as she talked Roe v. Wade being overturned, a left-wing protester shouted her down and called her a ‘war criminal.’
‘Hey listen, now is the time to get a hostage deal and ceasefire – we have been working around the clock to get that done,’ the vice president said. ‘And I respect your voice, but right now – I am speaking.’
Her shush-up earned her cheers from the audience, but like a game of Whac-A-Mole another demonstrator appeared – this time a man in a straw hat who was loudly yelling in support of independent progressive candidate Cornel West.
Vice President Kamala Harris made two appearances in Friday in Pennsylvania counties that voted for former President Donald Trump. At her Wilkes-Barre rally she had to dress down left-leaning protesters who called her a ‘war criminal’ and shouted in support of Cornel West
A pro-Palestinian protester provided the first interruption at Vice President Kamala Harris’ Friday night rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The man called Harris a ‘war criminal.’ She briefly talked about getting a ceasefire deal and told him ‘I am speaking’
Harris continued through her stump speech despite the interruptions, as a member of the crowd aimed his middle finger at the man, and others heckled him.
The raucous audience also initially booed the woman who was tasked with introducing Harris, Mary Grace Vadala, when she admitted to being a ‘lifelong Republican.’
The boos turned to cheers as Vadala told a poignant story about how her mother had been a devotee of former President Donald Trump after seeing him on The Apprentice.
‘But during the pandemic, at time when so many of us were looking to Trump for leadership, strength and comfort, she was betrayed by him like so many others,’ Vadala said.
‘We needed a leader but we never got one,’ Vadala continued. ‘Instead Donald Trump did what he always does – he spewed misinformation and bragged about how great he was doing while thousands of people died, workers were out of jobs and Pennsylvania families like mine were hitting the wall.’
The former Republican voter said Trump ‘drove our nation into the ground.’
‘His recklessness endangered the American people, cost us millions of jobs and led to the deaths of over 1 million Americans – including my mother,’ she said, the crowd gasping in response.
A second heckler (center, straw hat) interrupted Vice President Kamala Harris. He screamed ‘vote Cornel West.’ West – a former supporter of progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders – is running as an independent in the presidential race
The Democratic nominee filled the McHale Athletic Center on Wilkes University’s downtown campus in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Friday. During the 2020 election, the broader Luzerne County went to Trump by almost 15 points
Earlier Friday, Harris made a brief stop in Johnstown – a town known for a historic flood in a county that dramatically ditched the Democratic Party, after being, for years, represnted by the powerful late Democratic Rep. John Murtha.
Harris landed at the Johnstown airport – which bears the late congressman’s name – and was greeted by Sen. John Fetterman and his wife Gisele.
It’s Fetterman’s successful 2022 Senate bid that the Harris campaign is emulating by trotting the Democratic nominee out in counties like Cambria and Luzerne.
‘Nothing’s a lost cause,’ campaign co-chair, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, told DailyMail.com Tuesday nght at a Harris-Walz debate watch party in Philadelphia. ‘What Fetterman’s campaign showed is you have to compete for every vote.’
In a race that looked incredibly tight, Fetterman – who was recovering from a stroke – beat Republican television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz by nearly five points.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris wait in line on Main Street in Wilkes-Barre Friday afternoon waiting to get into her rally at McHale Athletic Center on Wilkes University’s downtown campus
The reflection of a Trump sign is seen in the window of a business selling reptiles in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris wait in line to see the Democratic nominee
Fetterman only so slighty moved the dial in redder Pennsylvania counties but it was enough for him to boast a commanding victory.
‘Now she can’t be in every county all over the country but you cannot win Pennsylvania by just campaigning in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,’ Coons said, pointing to the Keystone State’s biggest cities. ‘You’ve gotta go everywhere.’
In Luzerne County – where Wilkes-Barre is located – 56.7 percent of voters went for Trump, while 42.3 percent backed Biden – meaning Trump won by 14.4 four years ago.
In 2022 with Fetterman, 44.4 percent backed the Democrat while 53.2 percent went for Oz – meaning Fetterman lost the county by a smaller margin of 8.8 points.
There was similar movement in Cambria County, where Johnstown is the largest population center.
In 2020, Trump beat Biden 68.1 percent to 30.8 percent – a difference of 37.3 points.
In 2022, Oz bested Fetterman 63.7 to 33.4 – shrinking the still very-large GOP advantage to 30.7 points.
Vice President Kamala Harris (center) stopped in Johnstown Friday afternoon and was greeted by Sen. John Fetterman (left) and his wife Gisele (right). The Harris campaign has studied Fetterman’s 2022 and is hoping to emulate it in 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris visits Johnstown’s Classic Elements, a coffee shop, wine bar and bookstore on Friday as she attempts to pick up votes in the redder parts of Pennsylvania in an attempt to retain the state
This comes after Cambria County was narrowly won by Democratic President Barack Obama over Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008.
In Johnstown on Friday afternoon, Harris greeted several hundred supporters at the Johnstown airport before dropping by a small business – Classic Elements, an independent bookstore that also contains a coffee shop and wine bar.
She commended the store’s owners for creating a ‘safe space.’
‘And in the midst of so many forces that are trying to make people feel alone or divid us, I think it’s really important that we are intentional about creating a safe place,’ the vice president said.
Harris told reporters she was ‘feeling very good about Pennsylvania because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard.’
‘That’s why I’m here in Johnstown,’ she said.
