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The Harris-Walz campaign has come under scrutiny for transporting supporters from the Democratic stronghold of New York City to an official campaign rally in Pennsylvania during the final week of the 2024 election cycle.
On November 2, approximately 30 Harris supporters from The Bronx boarded a bus to travel to Pennsylvania in an effort to rally support for the vice president as the campaign nears its conclusion, according to a report from the Bronx Times.
“In preparation for the bus trip to Philadelphia, the campaign directed volunteers at this late stage to focus on generating excitement and preparation among those already planning to vote for Harris and less on persuading those who are not,” the outlet reported, citing a quote from Parkchester native DaiQuan Cain, who set up the trip between the group and the Harris-Walz Campaign.
“I’m very confident, and I am optimistic about our chances going into the final days before the election,” Cain added, according to the outlet.
Harlem resident Sarah McClure, who went on the bus trip with a friend, was inspired to travel to Pennsylvania after hearing about a previous bus trip her friends had taken a week earlier.“I think this is one of the most important elections in our lifetime,” she said, according to the outlet.
All told, nine busses were used to transport supporters from the Barclays Center to Pennsylvania for the November 2 rally.
“Around 10 a.m., the group boarded the bus, which had already picked up more volunteers in Co-op City. In about two hours, they would meet campaign staff at Triumph Baptist Church in Philadelphia and head out to knock on doors,” the Bronx Times reported.
The Harris-Walz campaign has often faced criticism for scheduling free concerts with music artists before campaign rallies. The vice president has previously hosted performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Usher, and other high-profile artists prior to her speeches, creating the impression that large crowds attended to see her rather than for the free concert.
During a campaign event in Houston, Texas, last week, Harris struggled to maintain control of the crowd after several media outlets and campaign surrogates reported that Beyoncé would be performing. However, no performance occurred; instead, the pop superstar delivered a speech focused on abortion issues.
Harris had to pause her speech multiple times due to the overwhelming volume of boos and heckling from the audience. The vice president plans to conclude her presidential campaign with a final concert/rally on the iconic steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a judge in Philadelphia has turned down Soros-backed District Attorney Larry Krasner’s request to stop billionaire Elon Musk from giving away $1 million to registered voters in swing states every day.
Judge Angelo Foglietta brushed aside the DA’s request to stop the prizes right away after Musk’s lawyer said the winners were not picked at random. Krasner claimed that the freebies were like an illegal lottery.
“The $1 million recipients are not chosen by chance. We know exactly who will be announced as the $1 million recipient today and tomorrow,” attorney Chris Gober told the court, according to the Associated Press.
Chris Young, the head of Musk’s America PAC, said in court that the prize winners were carefully chosen so that the PAC could “feel out their personality” and make sure they had values that were similar to theirs.
Musk’s lawyers also said that people who win the $1 million prizes are paid to talk about America PAC and that stopping the giveaways would break their “core political speech.”
Musk, who has endorsed former President Donald Trump, is expected to reveal the final prize winner on Election Day.
