Kamala Harris leads the star-studded rally on the Philadelphia Museum’s Iconic Steps

On the eve of the 2024 US presidential election, Democratic candidate 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 vote for the former California senator, who is trying , defeating President Donald Trump and becoming the first woman to hold the highest office in the land.

“We have one day to get this done, so we need to get to work now and get to the polls,” Harris told the crowd as she arrived on the stage outside the museum after 11 p.m. “We have so much more in common than what separates us.” And let’s remind everyone: your vote is your voice and your voice is your power.”

The star-studded event included an appearance by media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who appeared on stage with a group of first-time voters. The evening was also a concert with performances by Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, the Roots and will.i.am and other celebrities.

The celebrations took place at the foot of the museum’s grand staircase, which was immortalized in the 1976 film Rockywith Sylvester Stallone – an artist and alleged former Trump cabinet nominee. Today they are affectionately known as the “Rocky Steps”.

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets Oprah Winfrey during her final campaign rally at the foot of the iconic “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 5, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images.

“It’s nice to be back in the City of Brotherly Love, where the foundation of our democracy was laid, and here on these famous steps a tribute to those who start as underdogs and rise to victory,” Harris said.

A spokesman for the museum declined to comment on the rally, but noted that the facility had to remain closed for the day the stage was set up and for security reasons.

Many in the art world have come together to support Harris. The 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 poster “HOPE” with Harris’ portrait and the word “FORWARD.”

FORWARD Kamala Harris Poster by Shepard Fairey. Courtesy of the artist.

The vice president has her own connections to the arts and served on the board of trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from 1996 to 2011.

Pennsylvania is expected to be key to electoral victory as the state receives 19 Electoral College votes, the most of any of the seven scheduled battleground states. To win the presidency, a candidate must receive 270 Electoral College votes.

“We need everyone to vote in Pennsylvania,” Harris added. “And you will decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania.”

President Joe Biden won a hard-fought victory in Pennsylvania in 2020, with just 80,000 votes more than Trump. In the last election, the Republican leader defeated his opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton, by an even narrower margin of 44,292 votes. Harris had just 15 weeks to make her case to American voters after Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 following a much-maligned debate performance.

Spectators wait for Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, to speak during the final rally of her campaign at the foot of the iconic “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on November 5, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images.

While Harris was wrapping up in Philly, Trump was wrapping up his presidential campaign for the third time in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with an all-night appearance that began after midnight and lasted until after 2 a.m

Harris struck a markedly different tone than the Republican candidate, who has threatened his opponents with punishment or prosecution more than 100 times during the campaign and called Democrats the “enemy from within.”

“I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris told the crowd in Philly. “I give them a seat at the table – that’s what real leaders do, that’s what strong leaders do.”