Politicians and musicians came together Wednesday night for Kamala Harris’s “Get Out the Vote” rally at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
With lines beginning early in the afternoon, thousands of rally-goers waited patiently for the campaign event. The hall was eventually packed with roughly 10,000 people, while another several hundred supporters, many of them students, were turned away at the door.
Harris was preceded by four artists, including Remy Wolf, The National, Gracie Abrams, who sang her hit “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” and Mumford & Sons, who performed fan favorites “The Cave” and “Little Lion Man.” Between each set, Democratic representatives gave brief speeches in support of Harris and Tim Walz and stressed the importance of Wisconsin as a swing state.
Democratic leaders in attendance included Gov. Tony Evers, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Mark Pocan.
The combination of music and speeches forged a unique atmosphere, giving the event the feel of a music festival.
The theme of the night was rallying first-time and Gen Z voters to get to the polls. The crowd was mostly UW–Madison students, and the performers knew it; singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams kicked off her set with an enthusiastic “Go, Badgers!” that sent a wave of applause through the auditorium.
Vice President Harris aimed most of her messaging to new and first-time voters, too. “I love your generation, I just love you guys!” Harris said with a smile, pointing at the crowd as she took the stage. “Let me tell you why – one of the reasons is you all are rightly impatient for change.”
She continued, “You, who have only known the climate crisis, are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, who grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe. You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for freedom. And what I know about you is these issues are not theoretical. It’s not political for you; this is your lived experience. I see you, and I see your power. I see your power and I am so proud of you.”
“Can we hear it for our first-time voters?” Harris said toward the end of her speech, igniting a deafening roar from the audience.
“The vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us, and let’s approach this with that spirit,” she said in closing. “We’ve got six days to get this thing done, and no one can sit on the sidelines.”
As guests left the stadium, happiness was thick in the air. Teenagers danced in groups, trading friendship bracelets and singing songs in the parking lot, despite the pouring rain.
Badger students, too, were full of optimism and excitement for the upcoming election. “After the rally, I felt really hopeful for our future,” said Emily Dzierzak, a UW–Madison sophomore.
Kaitlin Olson, a 19-year-old UW-Madison student, echoed Dzierzak’s enthusiasm. “My favorite part of the rally was the energy. Everyone was so excited to be there – you could tell!”
A few moments later, 20-year-old Emily Gowing could be seen grinning and jumping up and down. “Gracie Abrams commented on our TikTok!” she shouted, while holding her phone out to strangers, showing them the video she and her friends had recorded during the rally. Abrams had left several blue heart emojis under the student’s page.
“Having big name artists backing Harris-Walz is so inspiring,” said Gowing, a sophomore at UW-Madison. “It fills me with hope to see so many young people who are passionate about making a change.”
Early voting is open in Wisconsin through Nov. 3 at most locations and is encouraged before Election Day on Nov. 5.
