Kamala Harris needs to win as many swing states as possible. But now that’s looking like an uphill battle she has not shot at winning.
And voters from this swing state have turned their back on Harris after she committed this damaging blunder.
Vice President Kamala Harris found herself in an awkward moment during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Thursday when she made a notable slip-up while discussing her record as California’s attorney general. As she was highlighting her efforts to protect various groups, Harris mistakenly said she had “stood up to veterans,” an error that drew immediate reactions from the crowd.
“I stood up to veterans, and stood up for—excuse me,” Harris quickly corrected herself with a visible grimace, realizing the blunder. The crowd’s response was mixed, with some attendees groaning while others laughed at the mistake. Harris then clarified her point, saying, “[I] stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big, for-profit colleges.”
Kamala Harris makes a brutal gaffe in speech to Wisconsin voters: ‘I stood up to veterans’ https://t.co/qloQ1tThl1 pic.twitter.com/ceDYubjBO9
— New York Post (@nypost) October 18, 2024
The rally, held just across from Lambeau Field, home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, drew over 4,000 attendees according to Harris’ campaign. Coincidentally, Southern rock band Alabama was performing at a nearby venue around the same time as the vice president’s speech.
In another flub before Harris took the stage, Jim Ridderbush, a local union leader, mistakenly introduced her as “the president of the United States.”
Her address followed a busy day of campaigning, with earlier stops in Milwaukee and La Crosse. In Green Bay, she emphasized a plan to expand Medicare to cover home health care for seniors, a proposal she argued would ease the financial burden on families caring for aging relatives.
“It’s about dignity,” Harris said, acknowledging the high costs of caregiving. “Far too many people have to quit their job to try and take care of their elderly relatives. And that’s not right.”
Javier Ceniceros, a 53-year-old small business owner from Green Bay, attended the rally with his family. “Harris is a better choice for us,” he explained, citing health insurance as his top concern. “I don’t want another four years of [former President Donald] Trump.” He praised Harris for her stance on preserving and improving the Affordable Care Act, which he said benefits small business owners like himself.
Peg Vanbrice, a 71-year-old retiree from Green Bay, also expressed her support for Harris, highlighting her focus on issues such as abortion, and small businesses.
Vanbrice called the vice president’s promises for the middle class “exciting” and voiced her concerns about Trump’s leadership. “It bothers me that if Trump wins, it’s setting an example: If you lie, cheat, bully, assault, you can get the most powerful position in the world,” she oddly said.
Violet Smale, a 22-year-old journalist and Harris supporter, pointed out that for Harris to win Wisconsin—a critical swing state—she would need to deliver a message that resonates on a personal level.
“I want to hear something that will resonate with Wisconsin specifically,” Smale noted.
“She needs to keep the momentum going, and that will take something personal.” But unfortunately for Harris and her supporters, the vice president has little to no positive momentum at the moment.
The counties surrounding Green Bay, including Brown, Outagamie, and Winnebago, all went for Trump in the 2020 election by at least a 4-point margin. However, the race remains tight.
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls, Trump leads Harris in Wisconsin by only a 0.1 percentage point—a statistical dead heat, emphasizing the significance of every campaign stop in the state.
As the 2024 election approaches, Harris’ ability to connect with voters in key battlegrounds like Wisconsin will be critical, but Thursday’s rally shows just how easy it is for her to slip up and commit embarrassing gaffes.
And mistakes like that will only further sink her in the polls with only just several weeks before election day.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
