Kamala Harris’ Unconventional Campaign Finale

Most presidential campaigns typically conclude with either a singular, show-stopping rally — reminiscent of Barack Obama’s massive 100,000-strong gathering in Virginia in 2008 — or a frenetic one-night tour across critical swing states, a style favored by Donald Trump. However, last night, Kamala Harris opted for a unique blend of both, resulting in one of the most surreal public events imaginable.

The innovative concept revolved around seven pivotal swing states identified as crucial for the election. Instead of holding sequential rallies, the Democrats staged simultaneous events, each designed as a mini-festival featuring a variety of speakers and musical performances from both renowned and emerging artists.

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Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz were slated to make appearances at two rallies each, albeit separately. The events were intricately linked, with highlights from each being broadcast live to the others, ensuring that everyone experienced Jon Bon Jovi’s hauntingly poignant acoustic rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

The centerpiece of this campaign finale took place in Philadelphia, where an enormous crowd — myself included — queued for hours at the iconic Rocky Steps. This event aimed to display the Harris campaign’s strength, optimism, and energy. However, what unfolded resembled a bizarre fusion of a corporate all-hands Zoom call and the chaotic tallying segment of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Mix ‘n’ Match

Detroit, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia were all in play, yet none occupied the narrative’s center stage. Philadelphia boasted the largest turnout, but a significant portion of its time was spent watching stilted live-streamed footage from the other locations.

The event was hosted by DJ Cassidy, who also led the euphoric roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention earlier this summer. While he was physically present on the Philadelphia stage, he simultaneously introduced speakers from the other venues, often interrupting live performances occurring in his immediate vicinity.

For instance, three hours after the crowd was let in, Ricky Martin burst onto the stage accompanied by a troupe of dancers, delivering an electrifying performance. After one song, he paused to urge the crowd to vote, then exited the stage as if concluding his set. However, DJ Cassidy swiftly introduced a significant guest: Vince Saavedra, the executive secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions. The Philadelphia audience appeared perplexed, particularly when Martin re-emerged to perform “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” a tune that those in Las Vegas were the only ones to appreciate fully.

This constant toggling between live and virtual performances blurred the lines of reality. By the time Harris finally appeared in person around 11 PM EST, the experience felt surreal, distorting both reality and time.

Attendees oscillated between being live spectators, remote viewers, and participants in performances. Speakers beamed in from various locations would urge the audience in another venue to make noise for their own crowd, yet the sounds from one location seemingly went unheard in another. This raised questions about whether their cheers were acknowledged and to what purpose.

The multi-location digital rally functioned curiously without a clear center, with seven peripheral events all existing to behold and perform for each other. The production quality was slick, yet it lacked coherence: Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” clashed for over a minute, someone abruptly cut off Katy Perry mid-performance, and at one point, the music intended to fill a gap between speakers unexpectedly dropped out to accommodate the Detroit Youth Choir’s soundcheck.

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As night descended, the surreal atmosphere intensified. The enormous screens flanking the Philadelphia stage were exceptionally crisp, their portrait orientation making them appear dramatically disproportionate to the human audience. Consequently, anyone featured on these screens seemed not just magnified but almost otherworldly, as if they belonged to a human super-species towering three times the height of those in attendance.

Harris made her initial appearance from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Following her, Walz spoke in both Wisconsin and Michigan a little over an hour apart, delivering nearly identical speeches each time — a perplexing choice given that it was being simulcast to the same audience members.

Final Flourish

Only at the end of the night did Philadelphia finally take center stage, as a flurry of big-name guests arrived in person. Lady Gaga appeared to perform a heartfelt rendition of “God Bless America,” introducing Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff. Emhoff then introduced Oprah Winfrey, who brought ten first-time voters on stage but only posed questions to five of them before delivering a genuinely captivating speech and introducing Harris. By this point, Harris’ arrival felt less like a scheduled campaign stop and more like the fulfillment of a prophecy, finally validating the audience’s faith that both she and they existed in real space and time.

Harris’ speech echoed the one she had delivered earlier in Pittsburgh, which we had witnessed live on video hours earlier. Yet, it resonated effectively. Her lines, now well-rehearsed and familiar, elicited a response from the audience, with many attendees reciting parts of her speech in unison — a testament to the consistency of her message and the campaign’s vocabulary since its rapid launch in the summer.

The expressions on the faces of my fellow rallygoers mirrored those I encountered among Harris supporters in Atlanta: a euphoric grin tightly sealed with a determined, clenched jaw. Not a single person I spoke with or overheard during the nearly eight hours of the event exuded confidence that the election was secured. Speaker after speaker emphasized that in 2016, Pennsylvania was lost by a mere 40,000 votes.

Interestingly, Donald Trump was rarely mentioned by name throughout the rally. Harris referred to “those who are seeking to divide us,” and while many speakers acknowledged the existence of a previous administration, Trump himself was largely absent from the discourse. Instead, the rally’s message centered on the speakers — much like the audience, who were visibly fatigued after standing for hours — expressing eagerness to vote, secure a result, and move forward.

This may reflect a degree of confidence that the election outcome will indeed allow for a departure from Trump’s influence. Regardless of her true expectations for the upcoming Tuesday night, Harris concluded her final address by boldly declaring, “We will win.”