ELECTION 2024: Big names campaign Trump, Harris

From tech moguls to former presidents, many stump for votes.
Published: Oct. 14, 2024 at 6:13 PM EDT
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WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -While Vice President Harris and former President Trump crisscross America in the final 3 weeks of the campaign, both candidates have surrogates stumping for them in the battleground states.

Campaign surrogates are now hitting the road – traveling to the battleground states – almost as much as the candidates for the White House. The Harris and Trump campaigns are hoping these high-profile supporters can energize voters.

When Barack Obama campaigned in Pittsburgh last week, the 63-year-old former President had this message for undecided voters in Pennsylvania: “We don’t need four more years of arrogance and bumbling and bluster and division. America is ready to turn the page. We are ready for a better story, one that helped us work together instead of turning against each other. Pennsylvania, we’re ready for President Kamala Harris.”

Democrats like DNC Member, Marcus Mason, are hoping that Obama closes the deal for the Vice President.

“I think it does wonders, as it relates to moving voters in this next election. It shows unity. it shows that the entire Democratic Party is behind Vice President Kamala Harris. It shows a difference and a distinction between the two sides. There’s nobody out there of a similar stature, campaigning for Donald Trump.”

Trump has a high-profile surrogate of his own. Tesla founder Elon Musk recently joined the formerPresident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America. This is a must-win situation.”

Musk is an unproven campaign surrogate. But Obama showed in 2020 that he can help Democrats with the coalition that helped Obama win the White House 2 times. Democratic National Committee member Mason notes that Obama is making specific outreach to black men.

“I think it helps reignite some of those people in that coalition, particularly men, black men especially to say, and shows them, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s almost as if he’s giving black men, in Pennsylvania and in some of those other battleground states, permission to come along and to and to vote for Vice President Harris.”

Harris will also have some campaign help from former President Bill Clinton. But the only other living former Republican President, George W. Bush, is sitting this race out. His office saying that Bush does not plan to endorse a candidate for president.