5 swing state governors rally in State College for Harris as part of ‘Blue Wall’ bus tour

Five swing state governors, including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, stopped in State College on Sunday as part of the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign’s “Driving Forward Blue Wall Bus Tour.”

Since last week, the tour has visited locations in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, with State College serving as its penultimate stop. Shapiro was joined by other Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Janet Mills of Maine and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.

State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, and State College Mayor Ezra Nanes introduced the governors, along with Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania attorney general, Eugene DePasquale.

The group was greeted by a crowd of about 200 attendees in the parking lot of Medlar Field, many clad in the “Blue Wall Bus Tour” shirts handed out to attendees and holding signs with Shapiro’s or Harris’ face.

“This isn’t just a vote against Donald Trump,” Shapiro said. “This is a vote for a more positive, inclusive future, one where, no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to, Kamala Harris is going to be a president for all of you.”

Whitmer urged attendees not only to vote but to ensure their neighbors and friends were casting their ballots as well.

“This could come down to a handful of votes in every precinct,” Whitmer said. “We know how it is. We are from the swingiest of swing states — we get it. So our work matters. It means talking to your fellow Pennsylvanians. It means having the conversations, knocking the doors, making the phone calls. That’s how elections are won.”

Baybars Charkas, president of the Penn State College Democrats, said the potential impact that Penn State students can have on the election cannot be underscored. He said out-of-state students from solid Democratic voting states like New York, New Jersey and Maryland have been registering to vote in Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes and is considered essential to win the presidency.

College students can register to vote with their college address if they’ve been a resident of their election district for at least 30 days before the election.

“We have the largest campus in the most important swing state,” Charkas said. “There are very few places in this country where your vote goes farther than Centre County. The people on this campus don’t really understand how powerful their voices are and how much change can happen just on this campus.”

Attendee Veronica Burk, a naturalized citizen who moved from Poland to Pennsylvania 43 years ago, said she takes “deep, deep, deep pride” in voting.

“To me, coming from a communist country — although Poland was not like some other communist countries but you had to be careful expressing — here you are out here, expressing your feelings, and you are free,” she said.

As someone with a great love for the U.S. and her home country of Poland, Burk said she is invested in America’s role as a geopolitical leader, especially with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Burk said U.S. alliances with other countries are vital, a value she doesn’t feel is represented in the campaign Republican candidate Donald Trump is running.

Although Burk said she is not afraid of America losing its democratic process or values, she believes some Americans take the right to vote for granted.

She urged everyone to exercise that right.

“I so deeply know the difference between democracy and a nondemocratic country,” Burk said. “I know that — I lived it. So to me, it’s 1000% more important than people who take it for granted. A lot of people take it for granted.”

Sunday was the last day of the governors’ “Blue Wall” bus tour, with Carlisle as the final destination after State College. With the Nov. 5 election just over two weeks away, the tour is the second recent surrogate appearance in Centre County from the Harris-Walz campaign. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke to students at The State Theatre on Friday as part of a Students for Harris event.

On Thursday, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy visited Penn State’s campus as part of Turning Point USA’s “You’re Being Brainwashed” tour. While Trump and Harris and their running mates have made frequent visits to Pennsylvania, none have visited Centre County.

Monday is the final day to register to vote in Pennsylvania. Registration can be done online, in-person at local election offices or at Centre County’s satellite elections office on Penn State’s campus.