On the eve of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris was at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Up to 30,000 people are said to have attended a rally outside the venerable institution in a last-minute effort to get out the vote for the former California senator as she attempts to defeat President Donald Trump and become the first woman to hold the nation’s highest office.
“We have one day to get this done, so now we need to get to work and get out to vote,” Harris told the crowd, arriving on stage in front of the museum after 11 p.m. “We have so much more in common than what separates us. And let us remind everyone—your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.”
The star-studded event featured an appearance from media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who appeared onstage with a group of first-time voters. The evening doubled as a concert with performances by Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, the Roots, and will.i.am, among other celebrities.
The festivities took place at the bottom of the museum’s grand staircase, immortalized in the 1976 film Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone—an artist and one-time rumored Trump cabinet appointee. They are now affectionately known as the Rocky Steps.
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets Oprah Winfrey during the closing rally of her campaign at the base of the iconic “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 05, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images.
“It’s good to be back in the city of brotherly love, where the foundation of our democracy was forged, and here at these famous steps, a tribute to those who start as the underdog and climb to victory,” Harris said.
A spokesperson for the museum declined to comment about the rally, but noted that the institution had to close for the day while the stage was constructed, as well as for security purposes.
Many in the art world have joined forces in support of Harris. An online benefit auction, “Artists for Kamala,” featuring works by artists including Jeff Koons, Kara Walker, Amy Sherald, and Jenny Holzer raised $1.5 million. Folk musician Joan Baez sold prints of a painting she made of the vice president for $1,000 each as a fundraiser for her campaign. Shepard Fairey created something of a sequel to his Barack Obama “HOPE” poster featuring Harris’s portrait and the word “FORWARD.”
FORWARD Kamala Harris poster by Shepard Fairey. Courtesy of the artist.
The vice president has her own ties to the arts, serving on the board of trustees at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from 1996 to 2011.
Pennsylvania is expected to be the key to winning the election, with the state’s 19 electoral college votes being the most of any of the seven projected battleground states. A candidate must reach 270 electoral college votes to claim the presidency.
“We need everyone to vote in Pennsylvania,” Harris added. “And you will decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania.”
President Joe Biden won a tightly contested victory in Pennsylvania in 2020, with just 80,000 more votes than Trump. The previous election, the Republican leader defeated his opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton, by an even slimmer margin of 44,292 votes. Harris had only 15 weeks to make her case to American voters, after Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, following a much-maligned debate appearance.
People in the Audience wait for Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, to speak during the closing rally of her campaign at the base of the iconic “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 05, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images.
While Harris was wrapping things up in Philly, Trump ended his presidential campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the third time, with a late-night appearance that started after midnight and ran until after 2 a.m.
Harris struck a notably different tone than the Republican candidate, who has threatened his opponents with punishment or prosecution over 100 times while on the campaign trail, calling Democrats the “enemy from within.”
“I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris told the Philly crowds. “I’ll give them a seat at the table—that’s what real leaders do, that’s what strong leaders do.”
