Think about it on the issue of choice - I'm going to go back to that. Kansas. If anyone watched that election in Kansas - it's a so-called Red State. And the people of Kansas said,
"No, we're not going to get duped into this being about Democrats or Republicans. This is about a core issue of freedom and liberty."
Recently, in the - in a special election in New York, just practically days ago, there was an election between two individuals, a Republican and a Democrat. The pundits said,
"Oh, the Republican will win. That's clear." The Democrat won because he made a position clear, which is that he stands for a woman's right to make decisions about her body.
The majority of Americans agree with a vast majority of the work we are doing. And so that brings me to my last point, which is: elections matter.
In the House, five seats; in the Senate, two.
I want to point out that the DNC is doing particular work - as it relates to the Senate - in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida. We could win those seats. Right? It is within our grasp.
And so look at that. Look at the work the DNC is doing when it comes to the governor's races around our country.
We're looking at six states right now - I asked my team to do a Venn diagram. Show me the states that are attacking voting rights, LGBTQ rights, and a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. Six states overlap doing all of those. Let's pay attention to what's happening in those states.
Let's pay attention to the secretary of state races. Eleven people who are now - the primaries are over. Eleven people, as Republicans, who are running for secretary of state right now - you know secretaries of state run the elections in the state. Eleven of them are denying and challenging the integrity of the 2020 election. Eleven.
So I'll close with this point: We have to win in November, with all of this at stake and so much more. And we have to do it in a way that is about empowering people and letting them know that their voices were heard.
You know, I think about it in terms of something we're going to discuss this afternoon, but what we - what we said when we came in about the need to speak up about anti-Asian hate crime and the need for people to not feel alone and isolated and in fear. And so we passed a law to address that, after there was an administration that was vilifying Asian Americans and really encouraging and fueling the fai- - flame of hate in our country.
People said they wanted a stop to that, at least to have their highest leaders speak about it.
People said that they want representation on the courts. People said that they want integrity in systems. And so they put their order in and we, together as a community, did the important and hard work of knowing that elections matter and then participating to make sure that we would do well.
We did that in 2020. It's time we do it now in the next 73 days.
And - and my last point is this: You know, I, as Vice President, have had at least 100 conversations in person or by phone - Simon and I were talking about Prime Minister Lee - where I have talked with presidents, prime ministers, kings, chancellors. And I will tell you, it's captured - my point is captured maybe in one of the first meetings I had as Vice President when I invited to my home then-Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
And so we're having an extensive conversation and talking about a variety of issues about threats to global security, about what we need to do in terms of the EU - just a number of things we talked about. And then she leaned across the table, and she looked at me, and she said,
"Now, tell me what's going on with voting in your country."
Because you see - and we all know it to be true, because this is the life we all live - when you are a role model - when you are a role model, people watch everything you do to see if it matches up to what you say.
The United States has held itself out to be a role model. When we walk in those rooms chin up, shoulders back, we talk about democracy, rule of law, human rights. Well, people around the world are fully aware of what we're doing and are asking questions.
There is so much about what this election will be that is connected with that point, which is going to be about: Who are we? What do we value? What are we, in terms of what we stand for? And if these are the things we stand for, the question will also be then: Will you fight for those things?
That's what these elections are about: fighting for the things we stand for.
So, with all of that, again, I say thank you. And I thank you all. (Applause.)
END • 2:51 P.M. PDT
KAMALA HARRIS
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