Kamala Harris' presidential campaign arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, marking its first major fundraiser in the city and bringing with it an all-star group of supporters.
The vice president hosted an afternoon event at the JW Marriott in downtown Los Angeles, featuring a lineup of celebrity speakers and guests that included Stevie Wonder, Sterling K. Brown, Lily Tomlin, Demi Lovato, Keegan-Michael Key and Jessica Alba; Alanis Morissette and Halle Bailey also performed at the fundraiser.
Inside the event — press was only allowed access for Harris' remarks — the presidential candidate took the stage to Beyoncé's hit song “Freedom,” along with an announcer who declared, “for please welcome our next president of the United States” to a standing ovation from the audience. crowd.
“Oh, it's good to be home,” Harris responded to applause; Although she grew up in Oakland, she has deep ties to Los Angeles, she still owns a home in Brentwood with her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Harris praised the longtime support she has gotten from the city in her long political career, noting, “I look around this room and there are people who have been here with me every step of the way” and later called herself “a proud daughter of California.
The Democratic candidate began by acknowledging that Election Day is only 37 days away. “I know who's here and a lot of us have been involved every four years, and every four years we say, 'This is the one'; this is the one,” he continued. “This is probably the most important election of our lifetime, and it's probably the most important election in the life of our country.”
Harris also used much of her nearly 30-minute speech to talk about her opposition, saying, “In many ways Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of putting him back in the White House are extremely serious.” He also questioned Project 2025, the controversial set of conservative policy proposals that will be implemented by the next Republican president: “Can you believe they put that thing in writing?” and included a joke that when campaigning across the country, his “crowds are pretty big.”
“There's so much at stake in this election, and this isn't 2016 or 2020, it's different for a lot of people,” he added, acknowledging the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity this summer and reflecting: “Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails.”
Harris concluded by reiterating how close the election is and how early voting has already begun in some states, saying, “Let me be clear, we will win,” receiving loud applause. He continued: “We have our work cut out for us too. This race is as close as it can be and we are the underdogs. We are the underdogs and I run like the underdog.
Tickets for the event, with a number of Hollywood agents and publicists also spotted in the crowd, ranged from $500 to $250,000; Expiration reported that over $28 million was raised during the fundraiser. After shaking hands and taking photos with some members of the crowd after her speech, Harris went to her next stop, attending a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday night.