Attendees of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ final sprint in Pennsylvania have told Newsweek that they are excited for Election Day on Tuesday and are “optimistic” about the results.
Harris hosted three rallies in Pennsylvania on Monday. Newsweek attended the ones in Allentown and Philadelphia. The Keystone State is often considered a bellwether state, with many analysts saying the candidate who wins Pennsylvania has the best chance of winning the overall election.
Monica Sager / Newsweek
“I am feeling optimistic, just like Kamala,” Chris told Newsweek at the Philadelphia rally, as she wore an “I Will Vote” shirt.
On Election Eve, Harris appeared at rallies throughout the state, as part of the campaign’s final Get Out The Vote organizing effort. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff joined her at the final event. Celebrities like Lady Gaga, The Roots, Oprah, Fat Joe and Katy Perry joined Harris throughout the day.
“We’re going to do it tomorrow,” Rich said at the Philadelphia rally. “We got this.”
Becca Powell also told Newsweek at the Philadelphia rally that she volunteered for the campaign and visited hundreds of houses in Montgomery County, which she called a “must-win county for Harris.”
“I think in these last couple of weeks, people have really understood who she is,” Powell said. “She’s for us and Trump is for himself, so I feel pretty good.”
Frances, who also knocked on thousands of doors, told Newsweek she is “feeling fantastic because we’re in it to win.”
Polls from recent weeks showed the two candidates neck-and-neck, with their leads mostly falling within the polls’ margins of error.
A poll by InsiderAdvantage taken between October 26 and 27 shows Trump one percentage point ahead of Harris, 48 percent to 47 percent. The poll surveyed 800 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.46 percent.
Another recent poll by American Greatness conducted by North Star Opinion Research shows both candidates in a dead heat with 47 percent each. The poll, conducted between October 22 and 26, surveyed 600 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. This poll noted that the sample included more Democrats than Republicans, and said the results reflected a big shift toward early voting for Republicans.
Monica Sager / Newsweek
A poll conducted by Emerson College Polling/RealClearPennsylvania shows Trump at 49 percent to Harris’ 48 percent. This poll was conducted between October 21 and 22 of a sample of 860 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.
538 aggregate polling showed the two candidates as “even” in Pennsylvania on November 4, with both Harris and Trump receiving 47.8 percent of the vote.
“I am very nervous,” Oresta told Newsweek in Philadelphia. “I am praying for the best but kind of anticipating the worst. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, look at the polls.’ I don’t trust the polls.”
Mitch Landrieu, former White House coordinator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation Office, told Newsweek at the Allentown, however, that the polls look like they’re going in favor of Harris.
“Generally at the end of the campaign, things start to shift one way or the other. They don’t generally split,” Landrieu said. “I think there’s no doubt that it’s definitely folding in our favor, but nobody’s going to sleep on that.”
Former White House coordinator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation Office, Michael Landrieu talked about how he’s “fired up” ahead of the tomorrow and is excited about the polling starting to all lean toward Vice President Kamala Harris @Newsweek pic.twitter.com/riXm3EGwCv
— Monica Sager (@MonicaSager3) November 4, 2024
Landrieu also said there are people traveling to help knock on doors with groups on the ground in the US, as they believe the election will affect them as well. He added that “people are tired” of arguing and that the “Vice President has done a wonderful job of creating a vision for us.”
“People are counting on Americans to show up and do the right thing,” Landrieu said. “We’re going to win it tomorrow.”
Like many of the people at her rallies Monday, Harris’ campaign has shifted its own strategy, to end on a “fully positive note.”
“We got to get her in office,” Matan Dolev told Newsweek at the Allentown rally earlier in the day on Monday.