(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s capital city welcomed Kamala Harris on Wednesday in what was her first campaign stop in the region, just six days before the election.
The vice president appeared on stage at the Farm Show Complex – a favorite venue for Republican challenger Donald Trump when he comes to Harrisburg – just two hours after wrapping up a rally in Raleigh, N.C. She will end her day in Wisconsin, according to her campaign schedule.
“As your president I pledge to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face,” she told a raucous crowd. “We are fighting for a democracy. We love our democracy. It can be complicated at times, but it is the best system in the world.”
In a 30-minute speech, Harris revisited much of her “closing argument” delivered at the Ellipses in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night, calling for a ban on food price gouging and promising a $100 million tax cut for middle class Americans.
It’s the 14th visit to the commonwealth for Harris, who remains neck-and-neck with Trump in a battle for the state’s 19 electoral votes. Pennsylvania is widely considered the lynchpin of victory for winning the presidency.
And for Trump, the vice president’s shifting views on natural gas drilling – one of Pennsylvania’s most lucrative industries – haven’t fooled Pennsylvania voters, who know she will “change her mind five minutes after the election is over.”
RealClear polling averages show Trump holds a 0.7 percentage point lead over Harris in the state as he widens, albeit slowly, the gap between the two.
Nationally, Harris has slipped behind the former president by 0.4 percentage points.