MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — In a surprise move that suggests dysfunction within the party elite, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris flew to Milwaukee on the second night of the Democratic National Convention to hold a rally in the swing state’s largest city while delegates cemented her nomination nearly 100 miles south in Chicago.
On Tuesday evening, Harris supporters flocked to the Fiserv Forum, the same venue where Trump was nominated as the Republican nominee at the Republican National Convention just weeks earlier.
The Democratic presidential candidate filled the arena for her first speech after the “ceremonial” delegate election that same evening in Chicago and largely stuck to her usual campaign speech after promising, “See you in two days, Chicago.”
Wisconsin Democrats attending the rally stood united behind Walz, even though the vice president or her running mate were new to them or did not know much about their policies.
Wisconsin state official Jennifer Brady told the Post, “I’m honestly excited for a candidate for the first time in a long time. I was actually with Biden before he dropped out. I wanted to see him and get a feel (for him).”
Brady, who said she had not previously followed Harris, admitted that she had not read up on Harris’s policies on grocery price controls, but that she “liked Harris’ energy and everything I’ve heard.”
Maryclaire Torinus came from her home in Republican stronghold Waukesha County to see Harris at Fiserv Arena. Torinus said there are no Harris supporters in her neighborhood.
The retired hospice chaplain wore a jaunty straw hat with a stuffed kitten on it and a card taped to the front with a dig at JD Vance for the debunked, viral couch story.
Torinus said she was “encouraged” by Harris’ policies and that the vice president had distanced himself somewhat from Biden, “even though he did a great job.” The mother and widow joked that despite having children, she was actually a cat lady and enjoyed her costume’s nod to the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Torinus, an educator and author, said people would be “more hopeful” with Harris at the top of the list of candidates and the vice president has “the necessary experience.” The self-professed cat lady criticized the Republican slate of candidates as “homogeneous” and “unbalanced” and said Vance was just a “younger version” of Trump.
While waiting outside the Fiserv Forum to enter the event, Ellen Wysocki told The Post she was at the rally to learn more about vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
“We don’t know much about him here on this side of the state,” she said, referring to Milwaukee’s location on the other side of the state, across the western border it shares with Minnesota.
Wysocki was touched that Harris traveled to Milwaukee for the event during the DNC.
“So, that’s how it works here!” she told the Post.
The “semi-retired” Milwaukee resident said she supports Harris’s policies on controlling food prices. “I haven’t heard anything I didn’t like,” she said when asked what she thought of Harris’ new policies.
“Inflation is terrible! Prices have to come down!” said Jericka Banks, 32, when asked if she supported Harris’ price control policies. The Milwaukee travel agent said she came to the rally to support Harris and was a Biden supporter before he dropped out.
The Harris campaign claims that more than 18,000 people attended the vice president’s inaugural rally 80 miles north of Chicago on Tuesday night.
