Vice President Kamala Harris to hold rally in Reno as Election Day approaches
Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to Reno this week for a campaign rally in the Silver State — widely seen as a must-win state for both major party presidential candidates.
The rally will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday. The Harris campaign will release the location of the rally to those who RSVP for the event.
The visit comes just weeks after Harris’ political opponent, former President Donald Trump, held a rally there. Nevada is considered a swing state, meaning it is not weighted toward either political party, and its six electoral votes could potentially help hand the presidency over to whomever wins them next Tuesday.
California Rep. John Garamendi, who represents the area between San Francisco and Sacramento, will be in attendance Thursday, as will Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, who is running for reelection.
In an interview with The Bee, Garamendi said that Harris, who previously served as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General and as the state’s junior U.S. Senator, was well-acquainted with the top issues facing Nevadans, including housing, transportation, water issues and the U.S. military’s presence in the state.
“She has that connection to Nevada,” Garamendi said.
Asked what voters can expect to hear from the vice president when she speaks Thursday, Garamendi said, “I think we will hear much of her closing argument. She brings a new generation of vision to the White House, which is really important.”
Garamendi said that Nevada voters will play a crucial role on Election Day, both in deciding whether to return Rosen to another six-year term and whether to vote for Harris or Trump as president.
Though Nevada in itself doesn’t have many electoral votes, Garamendi said the state could be an important fallback for Harris, if she loses a bigger state such as Pennsylvania or Michigan.
“It is a critical step on the path to 270,” he said.
Harris’ campaign this week also activated an advertisement on the Las Vegas Exosphere, a popular local landmark — this marks the first time a political ad has run on the Sphere. It’s part of a Harris campaign advertising blitz in Nevada, including homepage ads on top newspapers in the state and mobile billboards in Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas.
According to polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight, polls in Nevada show Harris, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, in a statistical tie, with Harris averaging 47.6% support and Trump averaging 47.5% as of Wednesday.
Nevadans voted for President Joe Biden over Trump in 2020, and also voted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016, though Trump still won that election.
Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston, of the Nevada Independent, has been tracking the early voting turnout on his election blog on that site. As of Wednesday morning, 790,000 people have voted in Nevada, Ralston reported, about 60% of the vote.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Vice President Kamala Harris to hold rally in Reno as Election Day approaches."