Vice President Kamala Harris Courts Republicans At Bucks County Rally

UPPER MAKEFIELD, PA — Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris brought her campaign to the banks of the Delaware River in Bucks County on Wednesday with an appeal to Republican voters.

Standing on the same ground where George Washington launched his daring crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 and below a banner proclaiming “Country Before Party,” the Vice President addressed a gathering of more than 100 Republican leaders and voters from across the state and nation who are supporting her campaign for president.

“The coalition we have built has room for everyone who is ready to turn the page from the chaos and instability of Donald Trump. And I pledge to you to be a President for all Americans,” Harris told the gathering.

The Vice President is locked in a tight race with former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes. Both candidates have been criss-crossing the state stumping for votes. This was Harris' 22nd visit to the Commonwealth.

"At stake in this election are the democratic ideals that our founders and generations of Americans before us have fought for," said Harris. "At stake in this election is the Constitution of the United States. We are here because we share a core belief. That we must put country before party," she said to chants of USA from the gathering.

Donald Trump, she said, violated his oath of office and if given the chance, will violate it again.

"Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And he refused to accept the will of the people and the results of a free and fair election," said Harris. "He sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol where they violently assaulted police and threatened the life of his own vice president. And he refused to engage in the peaceful transfer of power.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in front of the boathouse at Washington Crossing Historic Park, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Washington Crossing, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

"And now Donald Trump is telling us how he intends to use power if he is elected again," Harris continued. "He has stated that one of the biggest threats America faces is the enemy from within. He considers any American who doesn’t support him or bends to his will to be an enemy of the country. And further, as commander and chief, he will use our military to go after them.

“It is clear Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged," said Harris. "And he is seeking unchecked power … Anyone who has called for the termination of the Constitution as Donald Trump has, must never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States. Never again. If you share that view, no matter your party, no matter who you voted for there is a place for you in this campaign.”

Harris said, “There’s too much good work to be done” to be separated by party affiliation. “That’s why I have pledged to appoint a Republican to my cabinet,” the Vice President said to cheers from the gathering. “That is why I have pledged to establish a council on bipartisan solutions to recommend to me common sense solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing our country.”

Harris said she would work to “strengthen the middle class, secure our borders, defend our freedoms, and maintain our leadership in the world.

“We have a very fundamental choice in this election. A choice between the leadership I pledge to offer to America - leadership that brings folks together and builds consensus on making life better - or the choice of someone who we can guarantee will sit in the Oval Office plotting retribution, stew in his own grievances, and think only about himself and not you.

"Our campaign is not a fight against something. It is a fight for something," said Harris. "It is a fight for the fundamental principles upon which we were founded. It is a fight for a new generation that is optimistic about what we can achieve together - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - who want to move past the politics of division and blame and get things done.”

The Trump Campaign Response

“It’s quite pathetic to see former ‘Republicans’ of the past dug up out of irrelevance to have one last moment in the sun by campaigning for another four years of unlimited illegal immigration, rising prices, and endless wars under Kamala Harris," said PA Team Trump spokesperson Kush Desai. "Fortunately, as with any other theatrical prop, they’re all going to be tossed aside the moment they stop being useful for Democrats – which will be November 5, when President Trump is re-elected by Pennsylvanians.”