New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), joined the Harris-Walz campaign trail to visit State College, Pa. on Oct. 18. Organized by Penn State Students for Harris-Walz with the help of the Centre County Democrats Committee (CCDC) and Penn State College Democrats, the State Theatre was set to welcome and host the representative.  

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Aside from former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Oct. 17, Ocasio-Cortez is one of the only “high-profile” politicians to visit State College during this election campaign. 

Around 900 supporters of Ocasio-Cortez and the Harris-Walz candidacy lined up in front of the theater hoping to get inside access. Lines stretched around the block while volunteers from local campaigns spoke to hopeful attendees about volunteering for this election as well as handed out buttons courtesy of CCDC. 

Maria Schmidt, Joyce Hopson King, and Olivia Valentina were three of the many supporters who were eagerly awaiting to get inside the building. Schmidt shared why she attended the event. “I’m here in support of the cause, but I’m also waiting for AOC with her charisma to give us that empowerment,” she said. 

The three women elaborated on why they’re here in support of Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of Democratic Presidential Nominee, current Vice President Kamala Harris.

“She’s an experienced politician, but she’s human, she stands for truthfulness. She stands for experience. She is an accomplished woman of color. Of course, she has many years of experience, and she is imperfect as a person, but she doesn’t lie. She doesn’t disrespect the humanity of others. She advocates for humanity. And so I would say she is an anti-Trumper,” King said.  

She continued, “I don’t think there’s anyone that necessarily represents every single aspect of our own personal even within the party, there’s imperfection. But when she stands up against someone who is, who is hateful, who lies, who is a criminal, really everything that the other opponent represents, that’s a person with common sense that is going to try to manage things in a way that creates equilibrium and equity, right? Is everybody exempt from mistakes? No. But we want somebody with honesty and integrity that will do the best to manage in the fairest way possible across party lines and communities.”

The three women described their priorities for this election as women’s rights and the economy. King described her hopes for the economy as an “economy that empowers the middle class, not just the rich.” 

With a capacity of only 554 seats, the remainder of the people who were not afforded seating were stationed outside the venue and were given audio from the inside.

Later, Ocasio-Cortez was able to come out to speak and rally with supporters once the event was over. 

State College Endorsements 

State College Mayor Ezra Nanes was the first to walk onto the stage to announce his endorsement of Kamala Harris.

He publicly announced how crucial this election is in terms of State College. He made it clear that this town is a “transgender sanctuary city” and “if you care about something, you fight for it.” 

Later, in an exclusive interview, Nanes elaborates on State College’s role in this election.

“The path to the White House in 2024 runs through State College. Pennsylvania is the must-win swing state, and we have one of the largest student populations in the Commonwealth. Our work to engage voters and turn out the vote will impact every level of government from the State to Federal, and the impact on our future is tremendous,” Nanes said.  

“Political engagement in State College is very high, and we often have voting precincts that turn out over 80% of voters, which is much higher than the overall average. I know, personally, that I am doing everything that I am able to, to ensure that we elect representatives and leaders who have the character to hold the offices wielding the power of our nation’s people and holding our most sacred trust,” Nanes continued.

After him, both Penn State College Democrats President Baybars Chakras and Penn State Students for Harris-Walz President Sydney Robinson took the stage. 

Chakras elaborated on the importance of Ocasio-Cortez’s presence in State College. “I think her presence being here is incredibly evident, because it testifies to the fact that students are important to her, that they’re important to this campaign, that they’re important to this election, that they’re important to this country,” Chakras said.

“She [AOC] was elected the youngest person in her congressional cohort. She understands that when young people vote, young people show their voices, and young people matter. So I was incredibly pleased with the fact that she was there. I look forward to more people coming onto campus in the 15 days before the election,” Chakras continued. 

Chakras emphasized how Pennsylvania may determine this election.

“I think that with AOC, we’re showing that Penn State can punch above its weight, that we’re a campus worthy of attention because Donald Trump won in Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes. In 2016, Joe Biden won by about 80,000, we’re 88,000 here at Penn State. So we could swing this election. We very well could,” Chakras said. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Speaks

At around 6:50 and after about 3 hours, Ocasio-Cortez walked on stage and was greeted by State College for the first time.  

The representative began her 23-minute speech and further elaborated on unity in the community for this election. She addressed how this election is going to affect issues and people directly affected by policies such as reproductive access, healthcare, and immigration. “We’re all people,” she said. 

Pennsylvania, as of Oct. 18, has Harris winning in the polls by only .1%. What this means for the state is that they’re going to be hosting a lot more campaigning from both Harris and Donald J. Trump in the hope of swinging this state in their party’s favor.

“November 5th is just the beginning. It’s just the beginning. And that to me is the message for us to tell our folks who aren’t sure about whether they should sit out or not because, to me, that’s the real swing voter,” Ocasio-Cortez said.“It’s not about red or blue. It’s about couch or booth.” 

Once the event wrapped up, Ocasio-Cortez stepped out of the venue to speak to those who camped outside. She also participated in a press gaggle where she answered the question on how crucial race is during this election. 

“I don’t think that any one identity piece alone is what determines whether someone should vote for a candidate. But I do think that Vice President Harris’s experience as a woman, as a daughter of an immigrant, as a black woman. Black and comes from a descent of immigrants,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I think it informs her perspective, and her identity informs her perspective, allows her to really make decisions with those experiences in mind and with the acute understanding and empathy for the diversity of the American experience. So while I don’t think an identity alone is a reason to or not, I think that she has allowed those experiences to really shape her and I think it means that a lot of people can be represented in office.”