On the eve of the opening of polls for thepresidential electionthe mood is tense and hopeful at the Democratic rally in Philadelphiawhere vice-president Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak. On the grand avenue leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an impressive crowd of supporters throngs to hear Kamala Harris, determined to block the road to a possible return of Donald Trump in the White House.
Robin Matthews, a 50-year-old community leader from the suburbs, expresses concern despite cautious optimism. “If she doesn’t win, we’re screwed. We’re totally screwed. He [Donald Trump] is going to ruin everything. He’s out of control, there’s no balance of power anymore.” At his side, his son Asher, 16, stresses the importance of this election for “the preservation of our democratic system”.
A host of stars in support of Harris
Under the autumn foliage, percussionists enliven the atmosphere before the speech, while celebrities like Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey are expected to support the vice-president. But, at the end of a grueling campaign in a deeply divided America, some, like Yvonne Tinsley, a 35-year-old accounting executive, are simply hoping “it will end”. She says she’s exhausted by the incessant political ads and tired of having to remind her friends that “information isn’t on videos on Facebook or Instagram”.
While she doesn’t expect any political miracles from Kamala Harris, Tinsley feels there’s too much at stake to risk a Donald Trump comeback. “I’m a black woman in America, so unfortunately all politics affect me differently, because I’ll be the worst off,” she explains, worried about returning to a world where she feels she’s not heard.
A new era of racism and misogyny?
For Robert Rudolf, a 58-year-old computer programmer, Donald Trump’s re-election would represent a return to a period marked by racism and misogyny. “We had Donald Trump for four years, nothing was working. It’s normalized a bit, so I hope we stay away from all that.” Coming from a rural, conservative part of the state, he observes a growing divide and regrets “the difficulty of talking to people on the other side”.
Finally, Roxana Rohe, a 42-year-old teacher who came with her two daughters, is worried about the post-election period and a possible post-election crisis. She is already noting the allegations of fraud that Trump is advancing even before the vote. “Donald Trump is already saying the election was stolen from him, even before it happened,” she worries.