I’m happy, and curious now to see who [Harris] is going to pick for vice president.”

Cindy Zalesky, of Harleysville

With a little over three months to go before the election, Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic campaign came to the Wissahickon High School gymnasium just outside Ambler Monday, headlined by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The governors, both believed to be under consideration for the role of vice president, urged the 1,000 supporters to work hard to secure American freedom and democracy by electing Harris.

“The guard rails are off and [Trump’s] told us what he wants to do,” Shapiro told the crowd. “Go take a look at what his buddies and former staff wrote. That’s some scary s_ _ t ,” he said referring to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. “It is an agenda to take away more of your freedoms.”   

Among those at the rally were Harleysville residents Anthony and Cindy Zalesky. They came, Anthony Zalesky said, to show support for “a pro-democracy candidate.” Before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Zalesky was bearish at best on the Democrats chances of winning in November. Now, with Harris at the top of the ticket, he is more optimistic. His wife agreed. 

“I was sad after the debate,” Cindy Zalesky said. “I love the guy. He’s decent, nice, kind, and has all the qualities of a great leader. But something had to be done. So, I’m happy, and curious now to see who [Harris] is going to pick for vice president. But I think the momentum is there.”

A.E. Mica has always voted but has never gotten involved in a campaign. The Biden-Harris campaign was to be her first. And while she would have been “happy” to knock on doors for that ticket, she is “ecstatic“ about Harris. 

“This idea that you let [women] sit around and go septic because some man can tell you what to do,” said Mica, a retired emergency room nurse. “I’m old enough to remember when a woman didn’t have a right to an abortion. We cannot go back.”

As the crowd waited for Shapiro and Whitmer to take the stage, “I’m Coming Out,” Diana Ross’ 1980s hit, played over the loudspeakers. For Justin Ihlein and a few friends, the song turned the political rally into a dance party. In between busting moves, Ihlein said he wasn’t happy about how the change at the top of the ticket was handled. But now he was all in for Harris.

“Some people who were on the fence are now onboard,” the Oreland resident said. 

After being introduced, Whitmer said, back home, her friends call her Big Gretch. “You can too,” she told the crowd. Whitmer praised Shapiro as “another example of Democratic governors who believe in our three-part strategy” of getting [stuff] done.” 

Whitmer said people in Pennsylvania and Michigan want the freedom to make decisions about their bodies, who they love, be safe at school and in their communities. She then turned her attention to the Republican ticket.

“Trump wants to take us back,” she said. “Well, I’m not going back. Hell no,” which started a chant of “We’re not going back.”

Shapiro, considered by many as a frontrunner for the vice presidential candidate, appeared particularly energized. The Abington resident and former Montgomery County commissioner, Pennsylvania attorney general, and now governor, said it was good being back in the community that raised him and taught him so much. 

“The most important lesson you taught me is the importance of being for the people over power,” he said. “And that is what Kamala Harris does.”

During the first Trump administration, Shapiro said, the former president had “no earthly idea” of how to be president. But with the guard rails gone and Project 2025 ready to roll out on day one, America’s freedoms are in danger, he said.

“Here’s what I know,” Shapiro continued. “It is not freedom to tell our children what books they are allowed to read. It is not freedom to tell people they can go to work but they can’t join a union. That’s not freedom. It is not freedom to tell women what they are allowed to do with their bodies.”

Shapiro said he remains optimistic because the country has gone through similar times before.

“And as a nation, we have always come through it,” he said. “We have always gotten better. We have always gotten stronger. We have always gotten more just as a society.”

The rally ended with Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” playing over the loudspeakers. Anthony Zalesky considered what the governors had to say.

“I don’t think there was anything I was surprised about,” he said. “But I do think there is a lot more enthusiasm than there was a few weeks ago. And who do we really need to convince? You already have two camps, left and right. There is a very small minority” of undecided voters. “I just hope they believe the things we heard today.”