LAS VEGAS, Nevada — At the amphitheater where Vice President Kamala Harris spoke Thursday night, her supporters found something more unsettling than the spooky costumes some attendees wore or the chaotic bus ride from the venue to the off-site parking lot: the possibility of losing.
“Honestly, it’s scary,” Lee, a union member who moved to Las Vegas in 2005, told the Daily Caller News Foundation during Harris’ rally. “I talk to a lot of people, and it’s like, really close. But my heart wants her to win, so I’m gonna stick with my heart.”
Both presidential candidates made stops in the Silver State — on what locals know as not only Halloween, but Nevada Day — to make their final pitch before the close of early voting in a tight race where the state’s six electoral votes could be decisive.
While energy and turnout was high at both events, Trump supporters were far quicker to express confidence in a Nov. 5 victory than Harris supporters, who remained hopeful but uncertain.
Lee told the DCNF he is backing Harris because of her plans for developing the economy of Puerto Rico (he noted his distaste for comments about the island made at a recent Trump rally), along with Harris’ support for unions. “She’s super important to us,” he said.
The Culinary Union, which supports a large get out the vote operation, has been a long-time key to Democrats’ success in the valley.
Crowds today in Las Vegas at the Trump rally vs. Harris rally. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/2slnMriKWr
— Katelynn Richardson (@katesrichardson) November 1, 2024
Republicans currently lead in early voting and have been working hard to turn out low-propensity voters, along with groups that lean Democrat like Latinos and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), which respectively make up around 20% and 12% of the vote in Nevada.
Trump’s rally in Las Vegas last week focused on reaching out to the AAPI community.
“We need to be proud of our country,” Robin, a Filipino immigrant who said he came to the U.S. for the American dream, told the DCNF at Trump’s rally. “We’ve been heading the opposite direction.”
Robin, who said Trump will win “for sure,” is also one of many disillusioned Californians now living in Las Vegas. “We’re definitely not bringing California over here,” he said.
Trump supporters wear neon trash vests. (Credit: Daily Caller News Foundation/Katelynn Richardson)
Some Trump rally attendees flew in from California just to show their support.
“There is nothing like a Trump rally,” California resident Kristen told the DCNF while decked out in a McDonalds t-shirt and a neon trash collector vest, a reference to President Joe Biden’s comment about Trump supporters being garbage. “I actually came out last week for the rally also, and I went to the one at Coachella, and I went to one in Arizona.”
“He’s going to win in a landslide, unless they cheat,” another supporter from Los Angeles said.
Maureen and Rose, two women who also sported neon vests, expressed confidence Trump would win as long as there aren’t any “tricks or cheating.”
“I feel a difference in the energy, and every single day that gets closer to the fifth, I feel it getting stronger and stronger,” one of the women said.
Dan, who said he’s been a Trump fan since 2016, is thrilled by the team he’s assembled this cycle. “Trump’s going to win,” he said. “100%”
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Make America Healthy Again, is the most fantastic news that I’ve heard from any political candidate in my lifetime,” Dan said.
‘Feeling The Vibes In Nevada’
Trump supporters routinely named the border and economy as top issues. GOP campaign staffers believe this message is resonating with crowds that don’t typically vote Republican.
Some Harris supporters named the economy and immigration as concerns, but for most, it wasn’t the main factor in their vote.
“I think the immigration is, I don’t want to say not real, but it’s kind of not as big of an issue … as the Republican Party wants to make people believe,” one Harris supporter told the DCNF. “Women’s rights, that’s a big one for me.”
One rally goer wouldn’t weigh in on Harris’ odds, telling the DCNF he is a noncitizen who would not be voting.
Certain Harris voters struggle to envision a world where Trump wins.
“I think that our country is sick of hate,” Lindsey, a long-time Democrat, told the DCNF. “Like that’s all Donald Trump puts out is hate. And I think we’re all over it.”
One supporter said Harris has gained a lot of traction since entering the race late. “I think she’s doing an excellent job,” he said.
Amanda, a lesbian woman who came to the rally with her same-sex partner, said the economy and abortion were key issues for her, though her vote was driven by feeling her identity is welcomed by the Democratic party. She was certain Harris would win.
“I really, truly believe that. With everything in me,” she said. “I’m optimistic, and if it’s blindly optimistic, then I will be shocked, but I am very positive and I’m very hopeful.”
Many Harris supporters, however, realize the race is tight. James, who supports Harris because he doesn’t believe in “controlling women’s bodies” but does believe in taxing billionaires, said he’s “feeling the vibes in Nevada” but knows it will be close.
“I play hockey, and like half my team is Trump supporters, and half my team is Kamala,” he said.
Moses, a son of immigrant parents who is voting for Harris because he wants to make sure other people in his position “have the same opportunities,” has no idea how the race will pan out. “I feel like it could go either Kamala in a big wave or really competitive or the other way around,” he said.
‘”I’m still pretty young, and I want to buy a house and make sure that it’s an affordable option for me … like, my whole paycheck isn’t just going for the mortgage and stuff,” Moses explained.
Harris has proposed offering up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers, a policy another couple with adult children who came to the rally said appealed to them.
Woman yells at another attendee as campaign volunteers attempt to organize a chaotic line of rally-goers departing from Harris rally on buses. (Credit: Daily Caller News Foundation/Katelynn Richardson)
Kenny, an independent who cares about inflation, the federal deficit and crime, attended the rally even though he is not fully on board with Harris, though he is leaning towards voting for her.
“The reality is, my wife kind of dragged me over here,” he told the DCNF while standing in the food line outside the amphitheater.
As supporters waited to board departing buses after Harris’ rally, volunteers distributed candy and postcards with a QR code they could scan to identify people in their phone’s contacts lists who have not yet voted. For both campaigns, these final days are the last opportunity to win over voters like Kenny.
“In the back of my mind, I’m thinking Trump’s gonna win if it’s close, and right now, everything is neck and neck,” Kenny continued. “But who knows?”
Featured Image: Daily Caller News Foundation/Katelynn Richardson
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