A steady line surged outside. At the front was a group of high school and college students who skipped class to see Harris. Mairim Arteaga is a first-time voter who attends Reed High School. She said immigration is a top issue for her.
“I’m a first gen kid, so anything that comes to immigration is a really big thing for me, maybe making it not so hard to get papers,” Arteaga said. “That’s a really big thing for our families.”
Others in line said Harris’ presidential campaign feels historic. Alyssa Cowan, who grew up in Sparks but now lives in Sacramento, rented a car to the rally.
“It meant a lot to me when she became the vice president because I am half Asian, I’m half Filipino, but seeing someone else on the stage is half Asian, and a woman get that high in office, it just gives me a lot of hope and happiness for the future,” Cowan said.
Like many others, Cowan said democracy, health care, and economic policy are most important to her in this election.
In her nearly half-an-hour speech, Harris shared an optimistic message about the future, saying her opponent, former president Donald Trump, only wants to divide people.
It marked her first rally in Reno as the Democratic presidential candidate. She was last in Northern Nevada in April 2023. At times, the crowd’s cheering and chanting drowned her out.
“So today, Nevada, I ask you, then, are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America, and are we ready to fight for it?” Harris asked the high-spirited crowd.
She said she’s fighting for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies and encouraged the crowd to vote yes on Ballot Question 6 to constitutionally protect abortions. She pledged to take on corporate landlords, price gouging at the grocery store along with no tax on tips, a message Trump has shared as well.
Several lawmakers also shared the stage with Harris, including U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, who asked the crowd to phone a friend and tell them to vote using the hashtag #MayorMadeMeDoIt.
Harris’ visit to Nevada ended with a concert in Las Vegas in the evening, where Trump rallied too, in their likely final pitches to the swing state.
