It was a rare rainy day in Los Angeles on Monday. But that didn’t stop a line of Angelenos from winding around a convention center building on the University of California Los Angeles campus to cheer for Vice President Kamala Harris, who headlined a Get Out the Vote rally in support of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Karen Bass.
“When I was in Sacramento and she was in Sacramento, I saw how she would fight for the people of this region, the people of our state, and the people of our nation,” Harris said of Bass. “Karen Bass has a long history of always being on the side of the people, fighting for the people, for the people whose voices aren’t in the room but must be present.”
Bass, who is locked in a contentious race with real estate developer Rick Caruso, was the main focus in a rally that also featured California State Senator and U.S. Congressional hopeful Sydney Kamlager and state assembly incumbent Isaac Bryan — both are on the ballot this election — as well as termed-out California Controller Betty Yee.
The rally also featured appearances from singer Aloe Blacc, who performed his hits “Love is the Answer” and “Wake Me Up,” as well as Sheryl Lee Ralph, a star of the “Abbot Elementary” ensemble cast. Ralph — a Broadway performer in her own right — flexed her performing chops on her way to urging the assembled students and residents in the room to vote, then to urge their friends and loved ones to the polls as well.
“I know where my voice belongs!” Ralph belted out, borrowing a few lines from the 1994 Dianne Reeves song, “Endangered Species,” before congratulating the crowd for braving the rain on the way to UCLA. “Not one of you out here are to be counted out or left out! That is why we are counting on each of you to spread the message about what must happen today: We must not wait until tomorrow.”
Bass was once considered a “sleeper pick” to be President Joe Biden’s selection for vice president in 2020, before then-rival Harris was tapped for the job. According to Politico, Bass was described as Harris’s opposite — a politician who didn’t seek out the top jobs, working in less-heralded political offices.
Though Bass has the political capital, Caruso’s got the cash. Since entering the race this year, Caruso has poured more than $62 million into the contest. Bass has spent $4.2 million, in contrast — and the race has remained close despite the wild campaign spending difference.
“Democrats, I know we will not be fooled. We will not be fooled by somebody who has spent $100 million — do you know how many people we could house with $100 million?” Bass asked the crowd, citing estimates that Caruso’s total spending could soar above $100 million for this election. “You have to spend that much money, and half of it trying to destroy my character and creating a fake character that you call yourself. But Democrats understand that being a Democrat is not about checking a bo. Being a Democrat is about a core set of values.”
Both Bass and Caruso are registered Democrats, but Caruso changed his registration from Republican to “Decline to State” in 2011, back to Republican in 2016, and finally to Democrat in Jan. 2022 — shortly before the Feb. 2022 deadline for the LA mayoral contest.
Midterm elections, traditionally, are a referendum on the party in power — and over the last few weeks, reputable polls have show a tilt in popular momentum toward Republican candidates. That’s pushed top Democrats, including Biden and Harris, to rallies in battleground states and tight contests.
“I want us to remember what happened in the last election, so that we can remember exactly how that power plays out,” Harris told the UCLA crowd. “You’re gonna go out with a charge, going up to perfect strangers and in their face, as a neighbor and a friend, and asking them to vote.”
Harris called to mind the White House’s victories over the past two years, including extending the child tax credit, passing health care reform legislation, getting infrastructure funding passed, and recent federal cannabis reforms.
Democracy, Harris said, can have great strength in lifting people up — but that democracy is extremely fragile. “It is only as strong as our willingness to fight, and so fight we will, and fight we must!”
Carrie Hester, a first-year UCLA student from Kentucky, joined the rally both to see Harris and to offer support to her local friends. She was impressed by Bass, especially in the wake of the referendums on abortion rights across the country. Hester’s home state is one of five that have abortion on the ballot this year.
“I like how straight-up she is…she’s very open, especially on the abortion rights issue that’s going on, especially contrasting from Kentucky to California,” Hester said. “It feels good to have somebody in the community that actually supports us.”
Though the abortion rights discussion is disheartening, Hester believes that direct conversation is still the way to reach across political divides and reduce hostility.
“And our generation is probably going to be the one coming up that will need to solve a lot of these important issues, especially starting with abortion,” Hester said. “We’ve got to start somewhere.”