Hope, optimism abound as energised Harris crowd relishes V-P pick Tim Walz

PHILADELPHIA - Ms Kamala Harris’ supporters described renewed energy and optimism for her unprecedented presidential bid during a Philadelphia rally on Aug 6, buoyed by a running mate pick that looks set to prolong her honeymoon with voters.

Supporters at the arena event in must-win swing state Pennsylvania’s largest city said

her choice of moderate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

had given Ms Harris’ campaign to defeat Donald Trump new momentum.

“He appears to be an everyday American, he’s relatable... his word ‘weird’ has really resonated with the country in a special way. A word as simple as that has really energised the base,” said Mr Carlos Ruiz, 39, a corrections officer who wore an “I’m with her” pin.

Indeed, Mr Walz was propelled to internet notoriety in recent days after calling Trump and his top team “weird”, in remarks that coincided with a narrowing in the polls between Trump and Ms Harris.

“Oh my God, (Harris’ campaign) is bringing everybody together,” said rallygoer Joyce Meder, 64, who wore a “childless cat ladies of America” T-shirt, black cat mask and a cape, subverting a sexist jibe made by Mr J. D. Vance, Trump’s running mate.

“I think this is Martin Luther King’s dream, Trump is his nightmare. I was down here for Hillary (Clinton), but this is even more special because it’s a person of colour and it just means we worked hard to get to this point,” Ms Meder added.

Aiming to make history as the first woman US president, Ms Harris – already a trailblazer as the first female and first Black and South Asian vice-president – has little time before Election Day on Nov 5.

In the stands of Temple University’s arena, an ocean of glowing blue bracelets given to Democratic Party faithful swayed in time to the sounds of Usher, DJ Riel and Mark Ronson as a hype woman whipped up the crowd.

“There’s a lot of energy in here. (America) wasn’t ready for Hillary Clinton but they might be ready now,” said retiree Tony Copper, 61.

Outside the Liacouras Centre arena, merchandise sellers were not yet offering shirts and pins emblazoned with Mr Walz’s face, as he had been unveiled as running mate just hours earlier.

One batch of fridge magnets still showed the old Biden-Harris ticket, recalling a time before the race was upended when

US President Joe Biden pulled out

.

But inside, hoardings and credentials had been seamlessly brought up to date with Harris-Walz branding.

“Madam President” T-shirts emblazoned with Ms Harris’ face worn by two rally attendees were a far cry from the offensive slogans that framed the vice-president’s likeness on merchandise at a recent Trump rally elsewhere in Pennsylvania.

Ms Harris appeared in slick promotional videos on the arena’s big screens only slightly more than she does in clips shown at Trump rallies where she is derided as a radical leftist.

The clips had already been updated to show Mr Walz smiling and waving at unseen crowds.

“A lot of my friends and family are saying there’s a renewed sense of hope and optimism,” said Ms Olivia Osborne, 25, a brand marketing executive.

“My family is half Democrat. My Dad used to be a Republican but is now a ‘never-Trump’ kind of Democrat.”

There were some Harris supporters who lamented the choice of Mr Walz, governor of the Midwestern state of Minnesota, over local Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

“I was hoping she was going to pick Josh if she wants to win Pennsylvania,” said Mr Stevens, a taxi driver looking for business outside the rally who declined to give his surname.

“But it’s who she wants to govern with,” he said of Mr Walz.

Philadelphia’s mayor Cherelle Parker warned the crowd not to be lukewarm in their embrace of Mr Walz because of their fondness for Mr Shapiro.

“Period. That’s it,” she said of Ms Harris’ pick. “The energy is this room is tangible.”

Mr Shapiro told the crowd he would “work (his) tail off” to get Ms Harris and Mr Walz elected.

Across town, Mr Vance, for whom the “weird” tag appears to have stuck, held a rally with “Kamala chaos” branding front and centre.

“I work with J.D. Vance,” Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman told thousands of Harris backers in the 10,000-capacity arena. Until now, Mr Vance was a senator from Ohio. “I can confirm he is a seriously weird dude.” AFP