Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign on Tuesday with a visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin.
“The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin,” she told supporters at her first major rally in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis.
Ms. Harris walked onto the stage to Beyonce’s anthem “Freedom,” later telling the crowd that the November election is “a choice between freedom and chaos.”
Ms. Harris was joined by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and other officials. The rally was held just hours after she received key endorsements from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
During her speech, the former attorney general of California said she would change gun laws.
“We will finally pass red flag laws, universal background checks, and assault weapons bans,” she told the crowd.
Ms. Harris has secured enough support from delegates to make her the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Her campaign also announced that it had raised $100 million since officially launching its campaign Sunday afternoon.
President Joe Biden, who has called Harris “an extraordinary partner,” is set to address the nation from the Oval Office in a primetime speech on Wednesday night. This will be his first public remarks since dropping out of the race.
“President Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history,” Ms. Harris previously told supporters. “We are deeply grateful for his leadership and service to our nation.”
Ms. Harris has acknowledged that there is a lot of work ahead on the campaign trail, noting that there are just over 100 days until election day.