DUNMORE — Harris-Walz campaign co-chair, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, and local elected officials on Monday campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Tim Walz, and Pennsylvania Democrats, underscoring the stark choice Pennsylvanians face this November.
The stop came just days after the Democratic National Convention, where Pennsylvanians saw Vice President Harris deliver a speech outlining her “New Way Forward,” in which she says democracy and voting rights are stronger than ever before, reproductive freedoms are protected and every person has the opportunity to not just get by but get ahead.
“What do I know about Donald Trump?… That guy doesn’t believe in democracy,” Coons said. “That guy doesn’t believe in standing up to Putin. That guy doesn’t believe what Joe Biden spent his whole life fighting for. If you watched Kamala Harris on that stage, she convinced me that she’s got a fierce commitment to our democracy, toward being the leader of the free world, and to winning the 21st century.”
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said nothing could be more important than beating Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their “extreme” Project 2025.
“They want to pass a national abortion ban, raise taxes on working families, cut Social Security and Medicare, and undermine our democracy,” Cognetti said. “Vice President Harris has a different vision for our future, one where our freedoms are protected and the government doesn’t try to tell you who you can marry or what health care you are allowed to receive. What this election boils down to is this: Kamala Harris has always fought for everyday Americans like you and me. All Donald Trump has ever fought for is himself.”
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan said Donald Trump has openly embraced political violence and pledged pardons for rioters who tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
“It is imperative that we beat him again this November because a man like Donald Trump has no place in the Oval Office,” Gaughan said. “Vice President Harris, on the other hand, will protect our sacred democracy. On Thursday, during her powerful speech at the DNC, Vice President Harris pledged to be a president for all Americans, to be a leader who places country above party and herself. She outlined a New Way Forward, where our freedoms are protected and every person has the chance to not just get by but get ahead.”
Lackawanna County Commissioner Matt McGloin said Kamala Harris is a fighter for the people.
“From her days as a prosecutor to her now serving as Vice President of the United States, she has defended the rights of the middle class by standing up to scammers, predators, and powerful interests,” McGloin said. “She has helped create more than half-a-million jobs in Pennsylvania, and she has helped create the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years. She’s helped lower drug costs. She’s [capped] insulin at $35 per month for our seniors. And, she is fully committed to building from the bottom-up to the middle-out, not the top down.”
Dunmore Borough Council President Janet Brier added that this election is about moving forward.
“Democrats in Lackawanna County will use the power of the ballot box to defeat Donald Trump once-and-for-all,” Brier said. “Vice President Kamala Harris’s New Way Forward will grow the vital [Inflation Reduction Act] bill [she helped] pass and protect our freedoms. And Vice President Kamala Harris will make Roe the law of the land.”