Any good Badger knows how to Jump Around.
On Friday evening the Madison community jumped around again — but it wasn’t on a game day, and it wasn't for the football team.
It was at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris returned to Madison, where she lived as a child, for a rally at the Alliant Energy Center in front of 10,500 excited attendees.
It looked like a party or a concert or a festival more than it did a political event. Each guest wore a light-up bracelet that color-coordinated across the crowd as if it were a Taylor Swift concert. The music was loud, the strobe lights were strong, and hours before Harris even took the stage, the crowd — ranging in every possible age group — was already chanting her name.
When Harris arrived on stage, the crowd cheer was nothing short of deafening. Mothers held their children on their shoulders to see Harris walk out, while others stood on their chairs and jumped excitedly. Harris made her way down the lighted walkway, grinning and waving to the audience, making sure to point and wave to children and especially dressed-up supporters with hats and pins.
Harris spoke for about 25 minutes, covering the importance of small business owners, her plans for the economy, abortion and female reproductive rights, and opposition to former President Donald Trump’s involvement with Project 2025. She included a detailed story of Amber Nicole Thurman, a woman from Georgia who had died after a 20-hour delay in necessary medical care after an abortion.
The theme of the night, which was shared not only by Harris but also by the many speakers that came before her — including Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, interim Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and Gov. Tony Evers — was the power of Wisconsin and its ability to change the outcome of the election.
As residents of the most notorious swing states in the country, guests of the rally were reminded again and again that Wisconsin was the state that tipped both of the last elections, in 2016 and 2020.
“The election is basically here,” Harris said. “It’s basically here, and we have work to do…to get energized, to organize and mobilize, and to remind everyone that your vote is your voice. And your voice is your power. Never let anyone take your power from you.”
Harris spoke to the crowd with a sense of urgency and determination, and the feeling in the room was pure excitement, with smiles across each face and signs held proudly in the air.
“That was, to be honest, so refreshing,” said Alex Malatesta, a 20-year-old UW-Madison junior who interned at the Democratic National Convention this summer. “Refreshing because politics nowadays can be so polarizing, and it was nice to have hope. It felt like everyone in that room was so excited and hopeful for the future of our county and of Dane County.”
That sense of community, that sense of hope, was nearly palpable across the room.
“I feel energized, optimistic, happy,” said Jay Garvey Shah, 48, of Madison. “It was nice to have a community around, and to see so many people excited about what Harris offers.”
When asked why he felt so optimistic, Garvey Shah said, “I’m Indian American, and Kamala Harris is Indian American. I know that the Indian American population is not solely Democratic, and I would like to say to my Indian American community: She’s for us. She’s for immigration, and she’s for immigrants, so keep that in mind when you’re voting.”
Harris made it her goal to get Wisconsin motivated. By instilling
such a sense of community in her crowd, regardless of age or skin color or sexual preferences, Harris ignited a sense of hope within the people of Dane County and the people of Wisconsin.
“I think that it is one of the highest forms of patriotism to fight for the ideals and values of our nation, and to realize the promise of America,” Harris said. “Election day is in 46 days. We’ve got work to do.”
