Harris wraps up election eve with 3 rallies in Pennsylvania

(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris was in Pennsylvania on Monday as she made her final appeal to voters one day before the presidential election.

Harris traveled to Scranton for a canvass kickoff and later to a Puerto Rican restaurant in Reading.

She was at a campaign rally first in Allentown, Pennsylvania, then a rally in Pittsburgh and wrapped up at an 11 p.m. ET rally in Philadelphia.

The race between Harris and former President Donald Trump is neck and neck heading into Election Day.

NewsNation’s partner Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) predicts Trump has a 53% chance to win Pennsylvania.

The Keystone State was a tipping point in the previous two presidential races. Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes of any battleground state, with 19.

Harris in Philadelphia

The final rally of Harris’ presidential campaign is being held outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, made famous by Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky,” and featured appearances by Oprah and Lady Gaga, among other celebrities.

The vice president was joined at her previous stop in Pittsburgh by her sister, Maya Harris, and brother-in-law, Tony West.

Harris’s husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, spoke before Oprah.

“Over these 15 weeks, America has gotten to know, admire and trust the Kamala that I love,” he said. “You’ve seen her step up. That’s what she does, wherever she’s needed, however she’s needed.”

Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America” and then introduced Emhoff.

“Tomorrow, women will be a part of making this decision,” Lady Gaga said. “Now, Pennsylvania, its your turn. The country is depending on you. So tomorrow, let’s make sure all your voices are heard.”

Puerto Rican singing star Ricky Martin took the stage with backup dancers, a horn section and his usual energy at Harris’ rally in Philadelphia.

He didn’t mention Harris or the election in his quick appearance but was introduced by Puerto Rican rapper Fat Joe, who spoke out against Donald Trump and his supporters’ attitude toward Puerto Rico and Latinos more broadly.

Martin performed at an inaugural ball for George W. Bush in 2001.

Jon Bon Jovi gave a slow and soulful rendition of his band’s 1986 working-class anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer” at a Harris campaign rally in Detroit.

Taking the stage just after Tim Walz, Bon Jovi, who recently had major vocal surgery, kept his singing subdued as he played acoustic guitar and left the soaring section to a pair of backup singers.

“Go to the polls tomorrow, let’s elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, America’s countin’ on you,” Bon Jovi told the crowd in a low, gruff voice after the song.

Women will be the group to soundly reject former President Donald Trump on Election Day, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said at the final rally of his campaign Monday night in Detroit.

“Folks, this is getting pretty simple now: Kamala and I trust women,” Walz said. “Now tomorrow, women all across America, of every age, both parties, are going to send a loud, clear message to Donald Trump, whether he likes it or not.”

The comment is a callback to Trump telling an audience in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last week that he would protect women as president “whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.” Trump acknowledged during the comment that his top aides urged him not to call himself a protector because it is “inappropriate.”

Walz’s comment also hints at numerous polls that show a large gender gap in the 2024 race, with women leaning toward Harris and Walz and men leaning toward Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Harris goes door-knocking in Pennsylvania

Harris went door-knocking in Pennsylvania one day before this year’s presidential election.

Harris was in Reading, Pa., and stopped in a residential neighborhood Monday night, according to a pool report. After she made her way over a driveway, the vice president met with a family that included two parents and an adult son.

“Cole, that’s our son’s name!” Harris said when shaking hands with the son, who said his name was Cole, per the pool report.

Harris also posted a video on her social platform X Monday night, captioning it, “Took some time today to hear from voters in Pennsylvania and ask for their support.”

“There’s still time to join us on the doors,” Harris’s post continues, with a link to a website featuring campaign events for her.

In the video, the vice president is seen waiting at a door until one woman opens it, comes out, and hugs her. Then, a man she identifies as her husband also comes out.

Harris then tells the woman and her husband that she “just wanted to come by and say, ‘I hope to earn your vote,’” and the woman responds that Harris has her “vote already.”

Harris in Pittsburgh

Harris Harris spoke to a crowd of 15,000 at a rally and concert at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Pittsburgh, joined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., and other local leaders. The rally featured performances by Katy Perry, Andra Day and DJ D Nice.

Harris took the stage at 9:03 p.m. after being introduced by Cedric the Entertainer. “Pittsburgh, listen, we got one day left to get this done. So now we work to get out the vote,” she told the crowd. “We need everyone to vote. Pennsylvania, you will make the difference in this election.”

Harris’ speech, a condensed 10-minute version of her usual 25-minute address, was part of a tightly timed schedule due to livestream coordination with other performances and speeches, including her final rally in Philadelphia.

She also stressed the importance of finishing strong: “Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. And make no mistake, we will win!”

Pro-Palestinian protesters began chanting in the back, but the crowd drowned them out. Harris concluded her remarks at 9:13 p.m., as Katy Perry began performing “Dark Horse.”

Before singing a piece of 2010’s “Part of Me,” she shouted, “It’s my body, and my choice,” and “We’re almost there!”

In 2016, the singer was a major campaigner for Hillary Clinton. She both spoke at and performed at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia that year, and her song “Roar” was a staple of the Clinton campaign.

Perry, who is from Harris’ home state of California, says that Daisy, her daughter with actor Orlando Bloom, is “the reason I am voting for Kamala Harris.”

“I’ve known Kamala since before she was a senator,” the singer said. “I’ve always known her to fight for the most vulnerable, to speak up for the voiceless. To protect our rights as women to make decisions about our own bodies, yeah! Go figure! I know she will protect my daughter’s future, and your children’s future.”

She then sang “The Greatest Love of All,” originally by George Benson but best known for Whitney Houston’s version, which begins, “I believe the children are our future,” blending it into her 2010 hit “Firework.”

Harris in Allentown

With more than 50% of the community being Latino, the event featured speeches by notable local figures, including Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and Gov. Josh Shapiro. Musical performances by Frankie Negron and rapper Fat Joe energized the crowd.

The campaign reported 2,500 attendees in the main room, with an additional 1,700 in overflow and approximately 2,000 unable to enter after the fire marshal closed the doors. Rallygoers held signs reading “A President for All” and “Vote for Freedom” and chanted, “We’re Not Going Back” and “Vote.”

Harris thanked Puerto Rican community leaders and urged attendees to push for voter turnout, stressing unity and the importance of a fresh start in American politics. “We have an opportunity to finally turn the page on a decade of division,” she said, adding, “We are fighting for democracy.”

Harris campaign says results could take ‘several days’

Harris’ campaign Monday warned it could take several days for the final result of the 2024 election, urging people to stay calm.

“We believe this race is going to be incredibly close,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters. “So, we may not know the results of this election for several days, but we are very focused on staying calm and confident throughout this period as the process goes through. And we really know that we as a campaign have a really important role to play in keeping people calm and communicating and being transparent about our process.”

O’Malley Dillon outlined that by the end of Tuesday night, the campaign expects “near complete” results from Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan and “partial results” from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.

She said that by Wednesday morning, it expects “most results” from Wisconsin and additional results from Pennsylvania and Michigan. After Wednesday, it expects “additional results” from Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada.

“Keep in mind that some ballots will continue to be counted for many days,” she said.

She outlined that in Nevada, ballots can arrive until Saturday, and in Pennsylvania, the state can’t begin to count provisional ballots until Friday.

Biden was declared the winner the Saturday after Election Day in 2020, and Pennsylvania was the pivotal state needed to call the race.

This story is developing. Download our NewsNation app for 24/7 fact-based unbiased coverage. 

NewsNation’s Stephanie Whiteside, Damita Menezes, partner The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.