'The energy and electricity in this room was palpable,' Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez told Fox News Digital
Wisconsin voters fired up after VP Harris' first rally as the presumptive Democrat nominee
Voters in battleground state Wisconsin said they were both 'surprised' and 'excited' to learn VP Harris would become the new presumptive Democrat nominee ahead of the DNC
MILWAUKEE – Vice President Kamala Harris energized a crowd of eager voters in one major battleground state rooting for her November success, just a week after former President Trump accepted the Republican Party's nomination in the same city and two days after President Biden withdrew his Democratic nomination amid internal party pressure.
While the president's abrupt move via a post on X to suspend his re-election campaign took Democratic voters by surprise, they told Fox News Digital they are "excited" that Harris is slated to secure the nomination next month at the DNC and believe she's the best candidate to beat Trump in November.
"Well, I'm excited now," Amy Turkoski, a spokesperson for the teacher's union, Madison Teachers Inc., told Fox News Digital at the Milwaukee rally. "On Sunday, I was just shocked and confused, and yesterday, I still felt shocked and confused. But today, I feel united and energized and really excited that she's the candidate for us."
HARRIS HAULS IN $81 MILLION IN FIRST 24 HOURS SINCE BIDEN BOWED OUT
Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And Democratic voters are hoping to win over independents as well, a group where Trump currently leads, according to a recent poll.
"We definitely need someone who will unite the independents and even unite within the Democratic Party, and I do feel she is that candidate," Turkoski said. "She has the experience. She has the knowledge to unite."
Trump and Harris are in a tight contest, the most recent national poll since Biden ended his campaign indicates. However, independents – who are being closely watched this election cycle – backed Trump 46%-32% over Harris, with one in five undecided.
In a multi-candidate field, the poll indicated Harris and Trump deadlocked at 42% support, with Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 7% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 1%.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris cheer during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
"I'm extremely excited about Kamala Harris," rallygoer Lester Pines, an attorney, told Fox News Digital. "She is articulate. She is incredibly smart. And she is the most telegenic Democratic candidate we've had in decades. You put her on television next to Donald Trump, and Donald Trump will look like the old man that he is, look like the kind of befuddled person he is."
Pines said he thinks Biden did the right thing by suspending his campaign, "because physically, especially once he had COVID, it was clear that it was going to be impossible for him to keep up the rigors of a campaign."
Ben Wickler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democrat Party, told Fox News Digital he's "fired up" about Harris as well, despite Biden's campaign suspension being a "tough moment."
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris turn out for her first campaign appearance as the party's presidential candidate, on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
"[This is] a crowd that is ready to do the work to ensure that Kamala Harris beats Donald Trump in the fall, and that we make a country that works for everyone," Wickler said. "This is a phenomenal moment in American politics. And I have enormous confidence that we're going to win the election this November."
Wickler said, as the Democrats coalesced behind Harris, there was an "energy being unlocked."
"And it feels like today we're in a new day, the presidential race has been reset," he said.
Belinda Lucas, another attendee, said she's "very happy" with Harris and that "she knows Joe's agenda."
"I think she's gonna continue with that. I'm very happy," she said.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez told Fox News Digital "the energy and the electricity in this room was palpable." (Sara Stathas for the Washington Post)
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was also among the crowd showing support for Harris, telling Fox News Digital "the energy and the electricity in this room was palpable."
"People are so excited to be able to go knock on doors for her, to go make those phone calls, register people to vote," Rodriguez said. "The road to the White House goes through Wisconsin, and she's going to win this state. I'm very, very excited about it."
In her presumptive Democratic candidacy debut, Harris narrowly attacked Trump and claimed he wants to implement a blanket "ban" on abortion.
Supporters await Vice President Kamala Harris' rally in Milwaukee. (Fox News Digital/Jamie Jospeh)
"We who believe in reproductive freedom will stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own body, and not have their government tell them what to do," Harris told the raucous crowd of supporters gathered in Milwaukee.
Harris has made the same claim on other occasions, including in an X post earlier this month. "Donald Trump would ban abortion nationwide," she wrote. "President [Joe Biden] and I will do everything in our power to stop him and restore women's reproductive freedom."
Fox News Digital's Brandon Gillespie and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.
