Jennifer Lopez introduces Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Las Vegas Thursday night. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris made her final pitch to voters in Nevada on Nevada Day — better known as Halloween in other states — as part of a campaign tour through western swing states days before the election.
Throughout a 25-minute Las Vegas speech Thursday night, and in remarks in Reno earlier in the day, Harris echoed the address she delivered on the Ellipse in Washington earlier this week.
She highlighted her economic agenda while describing former Republican President Donald Trump as a danger to democracy who is “increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power.”
The vice-president urged attendees at the Las Vegas rally to vote sooner rather than later, calling the presidential race “one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime.” Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the state, according to the latest polling.
“We have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. We’re done with it. We’re exhausted with it,” Harris said.
During the Las Vegas rally, Harris lambasted Trump over comments he made in Wisconsin on Wednesday, when he declared he would “protect” women “whether the women like it or not.”
Harris shot back, criticizing Trump over his record on reproductive rights and broader concerns on personal autonomy under a possible Trump administration.
“We know the man simply does not respect the freedom of women or the intelligence of women to be able to make decisions about their own lives. We know if he were elected, he would ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to birth control, and put IVF treatments at risk,” Harris said.
Harris highlighted Trump’s role in the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right, and urged attendees to vote yes on Nevada’s Question 6 ballot measure.
“They did as he intended, and now in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions, even for rape and incest,” Harris said.
Harris condemned Trump’s divisive rhetoric and pledged to find common ground with lawmakers and seek common-sense solutions that put the country’s needs above party politics.
“If he were reelected on day one, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemy. When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list,” Harris told the crowd in Las Vegas.
“At the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living,” Harris added.
Harris reiterated some key points of her economic plan, including tax cuts for the middle class, small business owners, and hospitality workers who rely on tips, as well as a federal ban on corporate price gouging, the construction of 3 million new homes, and assistance for first-time homebuyers. She also vowed to lower the cost of childcare and ensure home care for elders is covered under Medicaid.
In contrast, Harris argued Trump’s economic plan to cut taxes for “billionaires and big corporations” while hiking up tariffs on imports would cost Americans thousands of dollars annually. She also warned that her opponent’s plan to eliminate the Affordable Care Act would throw millions of Americans off their health insurance and give insurance companies the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions.
The Las Vegas rally at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater also featured pop icon Jennifer Lopez and Mexican band Maná.
During a 15-minute address, Lopez called out disparaging comments made about Puerto Rico at a rally for Trump in Madison Square Garden Sunday, calling Trump “the biggest adversary I think America has internally ever had.”
“At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said. “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans that were offended that day. It was every Latino in this country. It was humanity and anyone of decent character.”
She continued, “I am Puerto Rican, and yes, I was born here, and we are Americans. I am a mother. I am a sister. I am an actor and an entertainer. And I like Hollywood endings. I like when the good guy, and in this case, the good girl wins.”
Harris warned that Trump’s return to office could result in the potential return of family separation policies, as Trump has repeatedly vowed to initiate mass deportations of immigrants “on day one.”
Democratic Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee, and Steven Horsford also spoke at the rally, as did Sen. Jacky Rosen. The Democratic delegation — all of whom are up for reelection — urged attendees at the Las Vegas rally to vote in down-ballot races and encourage others to vote too.