On Nov. 2, a group of about 30 Bronx Democrats boarded a bus to the swing state of Pennsylvania in a last-minute effort to drum up enthusiasm and turn out the vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the neck-and-neck presidential race between Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump, the nation is closely watching as New York’s neighboring state could tip the scales. Latest polls show an extremely close race within the margin of error in all swing states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia).
In preparation for the bus trip to Philadelphia, the campaign directed volunteers at this late stage to focus on generating excitement and preparation among those already planning to vote for Harris and less on persuading those who are not, said DaiQuan Cain from Parkchester, who coordinated between the group and the campaign.
“I’m very confident, and I am optimistic about our chances going into the final days before the election,” said Cain.
He said he felt that Democrats already won the persuasion game among those few who hadn’t already made up their minds. “We personally feel like we’ve done a good enough job with the independent voters,” he said.
Jennie Nawrocki, a special education teacher who lives in the Bronx, said she learned about the bus trip on the Harris campaign website, where she entered her zip code to find the nearest mobilization effort.
Nawrocki acknowledged that the chances of persuading non-Harris voters at the last minute were low — but vowed to try anyway, should the opportunity arise.
“[If] I meet an independent voter, I’m gonna say vote for Harris. And if I meet a Trump voter, I’m gonna say it too,” she said.
Harlem resident Sarah McClure, who attended the bus trip with a friend — inspired by other friends who had made a similar trip the weekend before — said she joined because “I think this is one of the most important elections in our lifetime.”
McClure said she always votes but has otherwise not been very politically active. This time, she felt motivated to step it up, especially after hearing about nine other buses heading to Pennsylvania from the Barclays Center that weekend.
“We’d rather do something than sit back and not do anything,” McClure said.
Around 10 a.m., the group boarded the bus, which had already picked up more volunteers in Co-op City. In about two hours, they would meet campaign staff at Triumph Baptist Church in Philadelphia and head out to knock on doors.
Michael Blake, who formerly served as a Bronx Assembly Member and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, told the group that their approach to talking with Philadelphia voters should be “positively aggressive.”
“As we know, Pennsylvania is essential,” he said. Although volunteer efforts like this had already engaged with millions of voters, “There’s always more doors in Philly to knock.”
Blake also prepared the group for the fact that Americans might go to bed on Election Day without yet knowing who their next president will be.
“We won’t win this thing on Tuesday, and that’s okay,” he said. “That means democracy is doing what it’s supposed to do.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
