For a few hours Saturday, Berkshire County was the center of American politics.
It was Harris’s first campaign fundraiser since President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop his re-election bid and back her candidacy July 21st. According to organizers, the sold-out event of over 750 attendees raised around $1.4 million for Harris’s nascent campaign. Tickets ranged from $100 to $12,500. After performances and remarks from James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and historian Heather Cox Richardson, Harris took to the stage of the Colonial Theatre to lay out her vision for the presidency.
“It is we who are intent on lifting up the people of our nation," she said. "And ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom. Generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands.”
The vice president said she would sign legislation ensuring national abortion access, push for universal background checks for guns and a ban on assault weapons, sign the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and bolster the American middle class.
“Think about it- there's so much about what we have prided ourselves in about our country in terms of progress, understanding that one of the defining components of that progress is the expansion of rights, and we are seeing a full-on agenda that is now about restricting rights, and one of the most fundamental rights, the right to make decisions about your own body," said Harris. "Think about that. And if there are those who dare to take the freedom to make such a fundamental decision for an individual, which is about one's own body, what other freedoms could be on the table for the taking?”
Harris compared former President Trump to criminals she prosecuted as a District Attorney of San Francisco, citing his history of fraud, sexual assault, and recent felony convictions.
“Ultimately, in this election, I do believe that each one of us faces a question," she said. "That question being, what kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?”
The VP said her campaign has garnered enough delegate support ahead of August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago that she has secured the party’s nomination, and noted that her campaign had raised around $200 million in its first week and seen thousands of new volunteers step forward since Biden stepped aside.
“We have a fight ahead of us," said Harris. "We’ve got a fight ahead of us, and we are the underdogs in this race. And let it be said- We're the underdogs in this race, but this is a people power campaign, and we have momentum.”
Kelli Hendren of Shutesbury attended the fundraiser with her family.
"Just an enormous amount of enthusiasm and excitement," she told WAMC. "We're really, really excited about the vibe in the room and what she's bringing to the table. It's just, we're super excited about it.”
“I think what she brought up that really resonated for me was to say, hey, we've got you, we don't want to go backwards," said Robert Hendren, her husband. "I think that was very powerful, is that, for me as a father, that what I'm looking forward to is passing the country on to the next generation, but not taking two steps backward before we do it. And so, she made me feel like she's the candidate of the moment. We bought these tickets when it felt like a dark time to be a Democrat, and then just four days later, it was scary, but very exciting, and I feel like the party is in line, I feel like we've got the right candidate, and today was a really great day.”
Pittsfielder Marilyn Allison was outside of the Colonial to cheer on Harris. WAMC asked her what it’s like to see a fellow African American woman atop the Democratic presidential ticket.
“Awesome," Allison responded. "I mean, I don't think there's any other word: Awesome. Just really proud to be in this generation, to see that. This is really awesome. Hope for my six granddaughters.”
She held a sign that said “Not Going Back,” explaining that she fears a second Trump term.
“I feel like that time when the other sir was in office was just really bad for people that look like me, I do. African American. Your phone can't see me, but you know what I mean," Allison laughed. "But it was just a really tough time. And I got four grown sons, and it was a tough time, so, not going backwards. And I definitely don't want anybody tell me what I can do with my body."
The general election is November 5th.
WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes discussed the Harris Pittsfield fundraiser with Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas during Midday Magazine on July 28th, 2024:
Dave Lucas: Vice President Kamala Harris visited Pittsfield, Massachusetts for her first fundraiser as the likely Democratic presidential nominee, WAMC's Berkshire bureau chief Josh Landes was there and joins us now. Josh, what was the scene like in downtown Pittsfield leading up to the fundraiser?
Josh Landes: Well, the streets were cleared with a large amount of security around the Colonial Theater on South Street. Just up the street, there were demonstrators holding a Dems have blood on their hands protest over the Biden administration support for Israel's bloody military campaign in Gaza. In front of the building itself, there was a large number of supporters holding signs that range from, you know, “if my cat could vote, she'd vote for you” and “Coconuts for Kamala,” things of that nature. There were also a healthy sprinkling of RFK Junior supporters there holding Kennedy signs. There was a contingent of Trump supporters, of Trump banners, but by and large, a lot of enthusiastic homemade signs sprinkled in amidst a heavy security presence. There were mounted police officers, horseback mounted police officers. Clearly, multiple agencies were involved in this, not just the local Pittsfield police and the Secret Service, but yeah, I would certainly felt like the circus was in town on Saturday.
Dave Lucas: How many people attended? And how much do organizers say the event raised?
Josh Landes: Apparently, they sold around 750 tickets. The tickets ranged dramatically in price, from $100 to upwards of $12,500 to sit closer to the stage. They had some high wattage local Berkshire celebrity endorsements on hand from Yo Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax and James Taylor, as well as historian Heather Cox Richardson, who also spoke during the event. All in all, organizers say they set out to raise $400,000 but at the end of the day, they say they brought in more, like $1.4 million so it was a tidy sum for vice president Harris.
Dave Lucas: What policy points did Harris discuss in her remarks?
Josh Landes: So a big part of her remarks were about abortion access and a woman's right to choose and bodily autonomy. This was a major point that a lot of Democrats felt that Biden did not hit strongly enough during his disastrous debate appearance against former President Donald Trump. So Kamala Harris committed to signing a law that would codify federal abortion access into law, if it was put before her. She also talked about signing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. She talked about universal background checks for gun ownership and a nationwide assault weapon ban. And she also talked about generally bolstering the middle class and trying to offer folks more social services. So that sort of made up of the core of the policy component of her address, though, again, she was really hitting the abortion themes very hard. We've heard that a lot from other Democrats out there stumping for the presidential campaign, to draw sharp contrast with the views of Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
Dave Lucas: Josh, how did attendees react to the VP’S remarks?
Josh Landes: Now, obviously they loaded the deck with hardcore Democratic supporters for the event, but there was a great deal of enthusiasm in the room. I spoke with a lot of folks outside who really seemed to have a sense of hope in the Democratic Party returned to them, after a lot of what they were describing to me as the dark days of the late period of Biden's run, when serious concerns about his competency ultimately overwhelmed his candidacy, so that there seemed like there was a lot of enthusiasm, both in the room and out on the streets. You know, I spoke with an entire family who came and there’s a lot of cross generational enthusiasm, I think, for a younger voice on top of the Democratic ticket.
