‘Invigorated that we have her’: Fans of Kamala Harris flock to Wilmington for her visit to campaign headquarters

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Brian and Yvonne Unger of Los Angeles were visiting their son in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Monday when they heard Vice President Kamala Harris was making a campaign stop in Wilmington.

So they drove two hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman they voted for during her races for attorney general and U.S. senator in California.

The Ungers thought they were heading to a public event for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, just one day after President Joe Biden dropped out on the heels of a disastrous debate performance nearly a month ago against his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.

But the purpose of Harris’s event was to meet her boss’s campaign staff in Wilmington, where it’s been headquartered for the 2024 race, and to take command of the operation.

So, at about 3 p.m., the Ungers found themselves in the downtown of Delaware’s largest city, waiting with a few dozen party faithful and a horde of media outside the Brandywine Building.

“I agree with her policies, and I definitely think that if she does get the nomination, she’ll represent very well,’’ said Brian Unger, a teacher. “She’s very smart, very articulate.”

Unger said he believes America is finally ready to “elect a woman of color. I think she’s in the right place at the right time. I think America’s ready for it.”

Harris is biracial — her father is a Black man from Jamaica, and her mother is a native of India.

Others who gathered outside the campaign headquarters shared their sentiments.

Gerald Samuels of Wilmington also hoped to get a look at the presumptive nominee who has been embraced by prominent Democrats since Sunday. Samuels was hoping his hometown guy Biden would remain in the race but says Harris would be a fine candidate and president if elected.

“She’s been there for four years beside him. She knows the ins and outs in national politics,’’ he said. “Plus, I’m a Democrat.”

Casey Danoff, a first-year lawyer and New Jersey native who works on issues involving gender and reproductive rights for the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, said that she and her colleagues were delighted when they heard that Harris would be a block from their office just 24 hours after entering the race.

“We all ran out. I’m super excited to potentially see her,’’ Danoff said. “I’m way more excited about this campaign than I have been up until this point. And I feel invigorated that we have someone like her who gets to lead the ticket and if we win, not only beat Trump, but put a woman in the office for the first time.”

ACLU intern Victoria Gorman, a graduate of MOT Charter School who will attend Boston University in the fall, said she had been hoping for younger candidates than the 81-year-old Biden and the 78-year-old Trump. Now, with Harris likely to be atop the Democratic ticket, it “feels like a turning point” in the campaign, she said.

“I feel like it’s time to get some fresh opinions,” Gorman said. “And I really hope that Kamala Harris can be that fresh new perspective.”

Harris traveled to Delaware on Air Force 2 with Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, landing at New Castle County Airport about 4 p.m. Waiting to greet her were a contingent of leading local Democrats who have been close to Biden for decades — Gov. John Carney, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Attorney General Kathy Jennings, and Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki.

Her motorcade then made the 15-minute ride from New Castle County Airport to downtown Wilmington.

She didn’t appear outside where the small crowd had been waiting.

But inside, over 100 staffers greeted her with rousing applause and chants of her name at the headquarters, now adorned with signs proclaiming “Kamala” and “Harris for President.”

At least one wall was still papered in the “Biden-Harris” campaign logo.

Biden, who is staying at his home in Rehoboth Beach, 100 miles to the south, while he recovers from COVID, addressed the gathering by phone.

His voice hoarse, Biden tried to rally the troops, some of whom wept.

“I want to say to the team, embrace her. She’s the best,’’ Biden said. “Know yesterday’s news is surprising and hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing. I know it’s hard because you’ve poured your heart and soul into me, to help us win this thing, helped me get this nomination and then go on to win the presidency. But you’re an amazing team. I think we made the right decision.”

In her own remarks, Harris praised her boss’s “legacy of accomplishment” and called it “unmatched in modern history.”

She quickly pivoted to Trump, noting her time in California prosecuting criminals in court.

“I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said, “so hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”