Before Barack Obama arrived in the White House, Diana Vahabzadeh was a registered independent who had never voted for a Democrat in her life.
But the first black president of the United States won over the now-63-year-old during his 2008 primary campaign and has since leaned to the left.
He was back on the trail Thursday and so was she, joining thousands of people at a rally in support of Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, the beginning of Obama’s stumping blitz in all the states critical to winning November’s neck-and-neck election. Does.
Vahabzadeh “has loved him for years,” she said: “This is a great opportunity to see him and support the ticket.”
A playlist of pop classics and TikTok hits spun in the university gym, where the “Yes We Can” slogan from the 2008 marquee speaker was repurposed as “Yes She Can”, a message emblazoned on homemade posters and in the field house. An electric scoreboard was emblazoned on both.
“We love you Barack!” shouted one rally attendee as he appeared, set to the tune of U2’s “City of Blinding Lights”, a frequent track during his own presidential bid.
Flashing his megawatt smile, Obama portrayed Republican nominee Donald Trump as a selfish businessman who was only concerned about his own accumulation of wealth and power, in contrast to Harris, saying, “She’s the one who wants the presidency.” “I am ready for this work like any other candidate.” ,
“That’s Kamala.”
Finally, he used the same crowd-raising power that had propelled him to the top of the Democratic Party decades ago, his voice rising sharply as he laid out his demands: “Don’t just sit back and hope for the best. – Get off your couch and vote.”
“Put down your phone, and vote!” He started shouting and cheering. “Vote for Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States.”
‘Mighty’
The energy was a hit for Tia Douglas, a 20-year-old college student who was on the cusp of elementary-school age when Obama first won office.
“It felt very powerful to hear him speak,” she told AFP after the rally, with shining eyes and a wide smile.
“Hearing from him made me even more excited to get out there over the next 26 days.”
The Harris campaign is hoping that the 63-year-old former president – who led the US from 2009 to 2017 – can fuel her White House bid with star power and help stave off a possible Trump comeback.
Obama walked out of the Pittsburgh Field House, which was packed with people of all backgrounds and ages, to thunderous applause.
“I love watching and listening to her outspoken personality,” said Valerie Brown, a 66-year-old retired public school teacher.
He told AFP he hoped his words might inspire “some other people who are reluctant” to vote for Harris.
Vice President Harris enjoyed a honeymoon surge in the polls when she replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee over the summer, capturing the social media zeitgeist and racking up billions of dollars in fundraising.
But whether she can ultimately surpass Republican Trump, who is seeking a second term, and still retain an enthusiastic base of support is anyone’s guess, with candidates still in the polls in key battleground states like Pennsylvania. There are ups and downs.
“I get why people want to shake things up,” Obama said on stage, before laughing at his own old on-stage debate: “I mean, I’m an optimistic-change person.”
He added, “I understand that people are feeling disappointed and people are feeling that we can do better.” “I can’t understand why anyone would think that Donald Trump would shake things up in a way that would be good for you, Pennsylvania.”
Also read: “Has Donald Trump ever changed a diaper”: Barack Obama at Kamala Harris rally
‘Lifetime Icon’
In the lead-up to the evening rally, supporters gathered within a block of the University of Pittsburgh’s Field House in hopes of securing a spot.
“I think it’s really amazing to see Harris and Obama “uniting for good on a large scale,” Douglas said.
Douglas’s friend Julia Palchikoff, a 20-year-old journalism student, said maturing in the Trump era made her appreciate Obama even more.
“To be in a swing state in an election like this, it’s just a historic moment, and I feel like I have to do my part,” said the Alaska native who moved to Pennsylvania for school.
“When I heard Obama was coming here, I felt like I loved him like a child — and Kamala, honestly, it feels like we’re on the verge of something really great.”
Was this the Obama he expected?
“It was totally,” she said, before adding a little more praise to the former leader: “Lifetime icon.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)