MILWAUKEE, Wis. — In a surprising move hinting at dysfunction among party elites, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris jetted to Milwaukee on the second night of the Democratic National Convention to hold a rally in the swing state’s largest city while delegates solidified her nomination nearly 100 miles south in Chicago.
Harris supporters swarmed to the Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, the same site where Trump was nominated to the Republican ticket just a few weeks prior at the Republican National Convention.
The Democratic presidential nominee packed the arena for her first speech following the “celebratory” delegate vote in Chicago the same night, keeping mostly to her standard campaign speech after promising: “I’ll see you in two days, Chicago.”
Wisconsin Democrats attending the rally were solidly behind Walz, even if the VP or her running mate were new to them, or they didn’t know much about her policies.
Wisconsin state employee Jennifer Brady told The Post, “I’m honestly excited for a candidate for the first time in a while. I actually went to see Biden before he dropped out. I wanted to see him and get a feel [for him].”
Brady, who said she hadn’t paid attention to Harris before, admitted that she hadn’t looked up Harris’ price controls for groceries policy but that she “liked [Harris’] energy and everything I’ve heard.”
Maryclaire Torinus came to see Harris at the Fiserv arena from her home in the Republican stronghold of Waukesha County. Torinus said there were no Harris supporters in her neighborhood.
The retired hospice chaplain sported a jaunty straw hat with a stuffed kitten on top and a card attached to the front with a dig at J.D. Vance for the debunked viral couch story.
Torinus said she is “encouraged” by Harris’ policies and that the veep has separated a bit from Biden, “although he did a tremendous job.” The mom and widow joked that despite having children she is, in fact, a cat lady, and was enjoying her costume’s dig at the Republican VP hopeful.
Torinus, an educator and author, said people are “more hopeful” with Harris at the top of the ticket and that the VP has “the experience.” The self-avowed cat lady criticized the Republican ticket as “homogenous” and “not balanced,” saying that Vance is just a “younger version” of Trump.
While waiting outside the Fiserv Forum to enter the event, Ellen Wysocki told The Post she was at the rally to learn more about VP hopeful Tim Walz.
“We don’t know much about him here on this side of the state,” she said, referring to Milwaukee’s location across the state from the western border it shares with Minnesota.
Wysocki was touched Harris traveled up to Milwaukee for the event during the DNC.
“Way to have it right here!” she told The Post.
The “partly retired” Milwaukee resident said she supports Harris’ policy on grocery price controls. “Haven’t heard anything I didn’t like,” she said when asked how she felt about Harris’ newly rolled-out policy.
“Inflation is terrible! Prices need to go down!” said 32-year-old Jericka Banks when asked if she supports Harris’ price controls policy. The Milwaukee travel agent said she came to the rally to support Harris and that she was a Biden supporter before he dropped out.
The Harris campaign claims that over 18,000 people attended the Vice President’s breakout rally 80 miles north of Chicago on Tuesday night.