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Vice President Kamala Harris told pro-Palestine protesters at a rally in Glendale, Arizona that “now is the time” to get a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.
Harris’s words differ vastly from two days ago when she told pro-Palestine protesters at a rally in Detroit—a state with a large Arab-American population—that “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking.”
By contrast, early in her speech at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, she received heckles from pro-Palestine protesters chanting “free, free Palestine.” In response, Harris tried to speak from a policy perspective.
“I have been clear: now is the time to get a ceasefire deal and get the hostage deal done,” she said to applause. “Now is the time. And the president and I are working around the clock every day to get that ceasefire deal done and bring the hostages home. So, I respect your voices, but we are here to now talk about this race in 2024.”
Harris had briefly met with activists supporting the Uncommitted Movement, which pushed to have voters select “uncommitted” in Democratic primaries. In Detroit, they briefly met with Harris in Michigan and said she agreed to a meeting to discuss an arms embargo.
But Harris’s national security adviser said on X that she would not support an arms embargo.
“She does not support an arms embargo on Israel,” Phil Gordon said. “She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”
Harris’s rally was part of her larger tour with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whom she selected earlier this week.
Initially, attendees at the rally attempted to drown out the demonstrators, which led to people repeatedly chanting “USA.” The Harris team said that 15,000 people attended the rally. Walz commented that it was the biggest political gathering in the history of the state.
Harris also sought to further articulate her policy toward immigration, which has become one of her weakest political points and one that Republicans have used to attack her. Harris has long said she would support a bipartisan deal to restrict immigration at the US-Mexico border that Trump killed. But she also revealed a new plank to offer relief for migrants who came to the United States illegally.
“We know our immigration system is broken and we know what it takes to fix it: comprehensive reform,” she said. “That includes strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship.”
The crowd was often raucous, playing music varying from Beyonce, a longtime favorite of Harris, Prince and Charli XCX, who backed Harris when she said “Kamala Harris is brat.”
Harris is making a large play for Arizona. The Harris campaign said it will ultimately open 18 field offices in Arizona as it hopes to keep the state that Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020 in the Democratic column.
As part of that strategy, the rally also featured the Republican mayor of Mesa John Giles, the co-chairman of Republicans for Harris, who told fellow voters in the center that they do not owe “a damn thing” to the GOP. He also invoked the spirit of Senator John McCain, who criticized and voted with Trump in equal measure.
In addition, the rally also featured Representative Ruben Gallego, whose Senate campaign is far ahead of even Harris’s in his race against former news anchor and election denier Kari Lake. The two are running to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Kyrsten Sinema, the former Democrat who became an independent.
Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who was in the running to become Harris’s running mate, also spoke ahead of Harris and she thanked him.
A poll from Highground, a public affairs firm and one of the top pollsters, showed that Harris had taken a slight lead against Trump, though still within the margin of error.
Harris and Walz will head to Las Vegas on Saturday.
But it will likely not be the last time that Harris will face a challenge from pro-Palestine protesters. Harris will head to Chicago later this month for the Democratic National Convention, where a number of uncommitted delegates will likely use their voices to express concerns.
