U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), the GOP candidate for vice president speaks at a rally in Bucks County Nov. 4, 2024 (Photo by Tom Sofield)
Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance made a final appeal to Bucks County voters on Monday night just hours before the polls open.
Joined by his wife Usha, Vance was greeted by a crowd of 3,000 supporters at the Newtown Athletic Club in Newtown Township in what marked the last stop of his campaign tour of the country.
Vance lambasted Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He criticized their policies on government spending, energy, and illegal immigration—a main theme of former President Donald Trump’s platform.
“Tomorrow is your one opportunity to say to Kamala Harris, you’re fired, get the hell out of Washington DC and go back to San Francisco,” he declared.
The senator from Ohio celebrated Trump’s presidency for its handling of the economy, crime, and border security, which led to crowd chants of “send them back,” a reference to deportation.
The Republican candidate highlighted issues of inflation and border security to critique the current administration and Harris.
“Stop talking about doing your job and go and actually do it,” he said of Harris.
Vance sharply attacked Harris, calling her a “disaster” and suggesting that Walz’s primary job was to fix Harris’s image.
“Our message to the leadership, to the elites of the Democratic Party, is, no, the people of Pennsylvania are not garbage for struggling under your leadership. But tomorrow, the people of Pennsylvania are going to take out the trash in Washington,” Vance said.
Republican congressman Dan Meuser and Lloyd Smucker warmed up the audience and encouraged them to vote for Trump. Local GOP Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick was not in attendance at the rally.
Jim Worthington, owner of the Newtown Athletic Club and a prominent Trump fundraiser, underscored the importance of voter turnout on Tuesday and reminded people to use mail-in voting.
“We thought you were only patriots if you went to the polls on election day,” he said of past elections. “That was bull.”
Diane Kirschner, a resident of Lower Bucks County, praised Vance’s performance.
“I think the speech was great,” she stated. “He hit all the key points.”
As the campaign winds down, the importance of Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes is clear as both campaigns have traveled across the state.
Earlier in the day, Trump delivered his last-minute pitch in Pennsylvania, while Harris concluded her campaign with a star-studded rally at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, after stops in Scranton, Allentown and Pittsburgh.