Pennsylvania

Kamala Harris Visits Florist, Restaurant in Northwest Philadelphia

The Democratic vice presidential candidate was in Philadelphia for the frst time this year, while Joe Biden was in Scranton on Thursday as the push for one of the most important states in the Nov. 3 election intensifies.

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Kamala Harris stopped by the West Oak Lane section of Northwest Philadelphia late Thursday morning in the first of a few stops in Pennsylvania's largest city.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate bumped fists with U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans then greeted Paulette Beale Harris, owner of Paul Beals' Florist on Ogontz Avenue.

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris discussed a potential COVID-19 vaccine while speaking with NBC10's Lauren Mayk during her visit to Philadelphia.

Beale Harris introduced the U.S. senator from California to the florist's 90-year-old mother, and said her father who founded the florist 50 years ago recently died.

Kamala Harris comforted the florist's mother, then spoke with some residents who gathered along the avenue. She then went to Relish, a restaurant nearby that is well-known in the northwest part of the city. Mayor Jim Kenney ate dinner there on the day he was re-elected last year.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., meets Congressman Dwight Evans during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia.
AP Photo/Michael Perez
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., meets Congressman Dwight Evans during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia.

The visit to Philadelphia was Harris's first appearance in Pennsylvania since she dropped out of the presidential race last December.

Harris is also scheduled to take part in an event called “Sister to Sister, Mobilizing in Action," which is hosted by a group called She Can Win. The exact location of the event has not been released. Harris held a similar event in Michigan earlier this month.

Biden's running mate will then take part in "a community conversation with Latino leaders and elected officials." The location of that event is also not yet known.

Both of Harris's appearances are taking place Thursday afternoon. The U.S. senator from California was in her home state earlier this week touring areas devastated by wildfires.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., meets people during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia.
AP Photo/Michael Perez
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., meets people during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia.

Biden, meanwhile, will be in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. The former vice president needs a strong showing in Northeast Pennsylvania if he is to take back the state in the upcoming election.

President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 44,000 votes in 2016, securing the swing state for Republicans for the first time since 1988.

Trump was in Philadelphia for a televised town hall discussion with undecided voters on Monday. Both presidential campaigns have made numerous visits to Pennsylvania in the last couple months as the state is seen as a must-win for each candidate.

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