Vice President Kamala Harris is set to hold a rally in Milwaukee next week, just before her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. The exact venue for Tuesday’s event hasn’t been confirmed, though the New York Times previously mentioned Fiserv Forum as a potential site. This venue, which recently hosted the Republican National Convention, was also where Donald Trump received his nomination days before President Biden withdrew from the race.
Milwaukee is about 90 miles away from Chicago, making it feasible for attendees to participate in both the rally and the evening events at the DNC. It’s not uncommon for candidates to campaign outside the convention city during the week of the convention. For instance, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton arrived the day before their speeches, while Trump was present for all four days of his convention last month.
Harris’s rally hints at a focused effort to secure votes in Wisconsin, a key battleground state. Clinton faced criticism in 2016 for not campaigning in Wisconsin, resulting in a narrow loss to Trump. “This will be the Vice President’s seventh visit to Wisconsin this year, and her third since the start of her presidential campaign,” the advisory stated.
Recently, Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, attracted a crowd of 12,000 at a rally in Eau Claire. On the same day, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, also campaigned in Wisconsin, making a note of Harris’s absence from media interactions.
The Milwaukee rally will coincide with the second day of the DNC, mainly taking place at the United Center, which is expected to host around 50,000 visitors, including delegates, media, and protestors. On that Tuesday, several caucus meetings are scheduled, covering various topics like women’s issues, disabilities, and military families. Former President Obama is anticipated to headline the evening speeches, though the official schedule remains under wraps.