First Impressions

Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, and the Democratic Nominee for the 2024 Presidential election, arrived in Johnstown, PA at 1:50 PM on Friday, September 13. The United States aircraft landed at Johnstown’s airport and was greeted by a large group of individuals who eagerly awaited her to appear for the 2nd time this week in Pennsylvania. 

Johnstown, PA sits in a heavily Republican area and has been historically politically prioritized. In 2008, Barack Obama barely won in the town. This shows how crucial it is for political campaigns to prioritize small towns on their campaign map. 

Governor Josh Shapiro, who launched his general electoral campaign in 2022, stated how important the town/ region is for the Harris-Walz Campaign.

“We’re no stranger to close elections in Pennsylvania. The last two [presidential elections in Pennsylvania] were settled by [about] a point or less. I expect this election will be close as well,” Shapiro told Tridem media. “I think what’s important is the vice president is showing up in communities that oftentimes get ignored and left behind.”

The first stop in Johnstown was at the airport where Harris, and the rest of the White House staff, landed and were greeted by  Pennsylvanian senator, John Fetterman, and his wife, Giselle Fetterman.

Johnstown Airport Tarmac

Around 400 invited supporters awaited the vice president on the tarmac for around an hour. The attendee pool included individuals from all over the state.

Delia Morchesky, a supporter from Carrolltown, PA, traveled 30 minutes to see the vice president. “I’m here to see Kamala! I think it’s like a great opportunity to see our, hopefully, first woman president in person,” she said.  

Morchesky started to get into politics young. “ I was very in tune with politics from a young age. I’ll never forget when Donald Trump won and my mother let me stay home from school because I was so upset. I was in eighth grade,” she said. “I’m from Carolltown, Pennsylvania. It is overwhelmingly Republican. I tried to talk to my classmates about it. Some of them were receptive. Some of them, not so much. Many of them said slurs so I didn’t really care if they were cool with it or not because… you’re a weirdo. It was definitely hard being a liberal kid.”

Once individuals were ushered onto the bus, they were greeted at a new line in front of the venue “Nulton Aviation” to await security clearance. After 20 more minutes of security checks, attendees were transported by another bus to finally crowd at the airport where the United States aircraft would land. 

Once the plane landed, Harris spent about 15 minutes interacting with the crowd before being transferred to Classic Elements, a cafe/bookstore in downtown Johnstown. 

Classic Elements

Outside of the bookstore, there were clashes between Trump protestors and Harris protestors. However, the vice president was cleared to go inside the building where she was greeted by the owners of the small businesses, media, and customers. 

Harris looked around, complimented the area, and explained why it was important she was there that day. 

“It’s about building community. There are many ways to do that. One of them is our small businesses. I was sharing with [Classic Elements’ owners] that someone who was like a second mother to us was a small business owner, so from childhood, I’ve been acutely aware of who you guys are, right? And you’re creating a space that is a safe space where people are welcome and know that they’re encouraged to be with each other and feel a sense of belonging,” Harris said.  “In the midst of so many forces that are trying to kind of make people feel alone or divide us, I think it’s really important that we’re intentional about creating these kind of spaces.”  

The Harris-Walz campaign’s decision to zero in on Johnstown reflects the need to win over PA this election. According to the Daily American, Johnstown alongside the rest of the Cambria County (Rust Belt “Flyover” areas) may have cost Hillary Clinton the presidency in 2016. 

Michele Kupchella Adams, co-owner of Classic Elements, recalled her conversation with Harris and campaign members. “We talked a little bit about the struggles of being [a] small business in a town that’s undergoing a renaissance, which I still wholeheartedly feel like Johnstown is undergoing,” she said.  

The campaign work is not done. Especially for Pennsylvania, especially for those in the state who are working hard to elect Kamala Harris. 

The vice president described her feelings about Pennsylvania. “I’m feeling very good about Pennsylvania because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania that deserve to be seen and heard. That’s why I’m here in Johnstown. And I will be continuing to be traveling the state to make sure I’m listening as much as we are talking,” Harris said. “And ultimately I feel very strongly that we gotta earn every vote. And that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. So that’s why we’re here and we’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania.”