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November 4, 2024, Philadelphia, PA. Celebrity Oprah Winfrey escorts Vice President Kamala Harris to the podium.

Picture by: Don Mennig / Alamy News

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America votes! Polls open after Harris and Trump make last push for Pennsylvania

16 year-old Klara Hammudeh reports on the rally frenzy of the election eve

Millions of people are lining up at polling stations all over the United States to cast their ballot in an election that is widely considered to be a once-in-a-generation clash between two very different visions for America and the world.

On the eve of the election, both the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, and the Democratic contender, vice president Kamala Harris, held rallies in Pennsylvania, a key swing state that is likely to open the door to the White House to the person who secures the critical 19 electoral votes belonging to the “Keystone state”.

Harbingers’ Magazine was with a camera at Kamala Harris’s final rally, held at the famous ‘Rocky Steps’ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Even though there was a three-hour delay before the vice president and the stars supporting her appeared onstage, the crowd of about 30,0000 was not deterred: they waited patiently to be motivated by Harris and her famous supporters.

Lady Gaga, who sang at the event, stated that she “will cast her vote for someone who will be a president for all Americans”. Oprah Winfrey, introducing Harris, underlined the importance of voting. “If we don’t show up tomorrow [November 5], it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again,” the TV star said.

Harris finally addressed the crowd just after 11.30pm local time to describe the contest as the “most consequential election of our lifetimes”, adding “the momentum is on our side.” In a nod to the classic 1976 movie Rocky, she described the place where the event was held as a “tribute to those who start as the underdog and climb to victory”.

It’s time for a new generation of leadership in America, and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States of America.

Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024

Harris spent the entire Monday in Pennsylvania. She had six stops on her route – before Philadelphia she spoke in Pittsburgh, Scranton, Allentown, Reading and Rankin. In Reading, she also knocked on the doors of families in an attempt to take the spotlight from Trump, who held a rally in the city just moments earlier.

Donald Trump’s words make states prepare for unrest

Meanwhile, Donald Trump divided his last day between three swing states: North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. In Pennsylvania, he held two rallies, in Reading and Pittsburgh.

According to Whyy.org, the rally in Reading was “likely an effort to conduct damage control” after a speaker at Trump’s rally in New York City a week ago called Puerto Rico an “island of garbage”. More than 70% of Reading’s population is Latino, with Puerto Ricans making up the largest group.

After two stops in Pennsylvania, Trump finished his campaign in Grand Rapids in western Michigan, where he delivered an almost two-hour long speech in which he focused on immigration and economics.

Under my leadership, we’re quickly going to turn this economic nightmare into an economic miracle. We will make America wealthy again, and we will make America affordable again.

Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 4, 2024

Notably, he spent a significant part of the time warning about the possibility of election fraud on the part of the Democrats, repeatedly urging his electorate to vote in order to deliver a victory “too big to rig”.

“The ball’s in our hand. All we have to do is get out the vote tomorrow… In other words, to make you feel a little guilty, we would only have you to blame,” Trump argued.

Election day is marked with preparations in Washington, DC and other states for ‘possible’ unrest – several states mobilise their National Guard and in some cities windows are boarded up to prevent damage.

Written by:

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Klara Hammudeh

Contributor

Warsaw, Poland

Born in 2008 in Warsaw, Poland, Klara joined Harbingers’ Magazine to cover international affairs, crime and music.

In the future, she plans to study ‘psychology, international politics, or criminology,’ preferably in the United States.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, listening to music and exploring the realm of pop culture, with a particular focus on how Broadway and West End create musical adaptations of classic Disney stories.

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