Democratic voters waited outside Temple's Liacouras Center on Tuesday afternoon for a chance to see Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, surging with a newfound energy missing from the Democratic base just weeks earlier.
Those in the line, which snaked around the sports arena, expressed enthusiasm to vote Democrat this fall, a marked departure from the dread and resignation many say they felt before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. Several wore Harris tees and pins emblazoned with punchy quips from the Democratic nominee, like her challenge to the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump: "Say it to my face."
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Passing drumlines elicited cheers from the crowd, recording iPhones in hand. One woman patrolled the sidewalk draped in a Harris flag, trailing behind her like a superhero cape.
Those gathered for the rally praised Harris as confident, honest and a fighter. They readily admitted they were worried before Harris became the leading Democratic contender. Biden's much-criticized performance in the June 27 debate against Trump was frequently invoked as a source of fear and even a reason to sit the election out.
"Six weeks ago, I was in a state of despair," said Delores White, an 81-year-old from Camden. "'Cause everyone was saying Trump was going to win. Trump thought he was going to win. That's why he picked JD Vance. And now we're in a different territory, a different era. We have hope."
Juan Mancera, a 23-year-old from Norristown, said: "In the very beginning with Biden, I wasn't really going to vote. So now with Kamala, I'm very happy with that decision."
Voters in line seem on board with Walz, too. White, a retired teacher, appreciates his background in education. Walz's viral attack line against the Republicans — "they're weird" — is also resonating with the base, with many praising the departure from past Democratic messaging.
"I think it's great," said Evelyn Hittner, a 47-year-old from Flemington. "I really think we got to abandon when they go low, we go high. I think we got to fight in the gutter. They're very weird people, and I think we should point out that they're very strange."
Hittner's friend Joanie Shah, a 42-year-old Philly native, thinks it can go even further.
"I want (Harris) to dig into Trump," Shah said. "I think it's time. He's good at dishing it out. Let's see if he can take it."
Though speculation prior to the Tuesday morning announcement suggested Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was the front-runner to be Harris' running mate, some, like Mancera, expressed reservations over his stance on the war in Gaza. Others are happy he's staying in Harrisburg.
"He's a good governor," Hittner said. "He is the new governor in Pennsylvania, I feel like they should keep their Democratic governors because they are swing (states)."
White said, "I was leaning toward Shapiro, but Walz is probably a better pick. He can influence Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania up north. ... He can talk to them."
Reproductive rights and gun control were top issues for the people in line. Younger voters like Mancera and those too young to participate in this election — like Hittner's 15-year-old daughter Chelsea — also said a ceasefire in Gaza was a priority. Regardless of their reasons for voting for Harris, however, her supporters at Temple believe she can win. Not just Pennsylvania or New Jersey, but the electoral college. For them, the alternative is unconscionable.
"We cannot lose this election because of Project 2025," White said. "What Trump has in store for us would just be a complete nightmare....Republicans want to control our voting, which would take our voice away."
"Republicans, just the way they talk ... it's like attacking me personally," Mercana said, pointing to his Hispanic background and place in the LGBTQ community. "I can't agree with you when you're attacking who I am and people I love."
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