Since the night of his halting debate performance last month, the vice president has repeatedly defended Biden, stating that he is the party’s nominee and encouraging others to “fight for him.”
As arguably the heir apparent for the nomination should the president step aside, Harris would need to shore up voter and donor support quickly if Biden exits the race. At Saturday’s event, Harris struck a similar tone of optimism for the campaign and support for the president.
“I’m testifying as a firsthand witness,” she said, raising her hands in the air, “with every decision [Biden] makes in the Oval Office, I’m telling you he thinks about how it will impact everyday working Americans.”
“We are going to win,” Harris declared to enormous applause. “It’s not going to be easy. … It takes believing in something and then going for it.”
Harris also criticized former president Donald Trump’s attempt to convey a message of “unity” at the Republican National Convention — a word used on both sides of the aisle after last weekend’s assassination attempt against him.
“If you claim to stand for unity, then you need to know it’s more than just a word,” Harris said.
Tickets for Harris’s sold-out event in Provincetown — a longtime hub for artists on Cape Cod that’s a popular beach getaway for the LGBTQ community — ranged from $150 to $150,000. The fundraiser, hosted by event planner Bryan Rafanelli, was announced before the presidential debate late last month.
Harris recounted how her parents would take her to marches for “freedom and equality. Not for some, but for all,” she said. “So when it comes to the fight for LGBTQ rights, as much as anything, I know it to be a fundamental fight for freedom.”
Harris also warned the guests that if Trump wins in November, “he will once again implement policies that target the LGBTQ community.” She added that Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), will “undoubtedly be a rubber stamp” for Trump’s “extremist anti-LGBTQ agenda.”
Rafanelli said that more than 1,000 people were in attendance and that more than $2 million had been raised
“Back in 2012, we were fighting for the recognition of our marriages and it was Joe Biden who listened to our voices and stood up for our community,” Rafanelli said at Saturday’s event. “Let me be clear, if we do not win this election, we will be fighting for a lot more than marriage equality. We will be fighting for our right to exist.”
He added that Harris “is not just a politician, she’s a trailblazer, a symbol of progress …[she] has consistently fought for the LGBT community.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and actor Jennifer Coolidge were among the attendees of the event.
Upon departure, a reporter shouted a question about whether the president was “doing okay.” She gave a thumbs-up.
Vazquez reported from Washington. Nicole Markus in Washington contributed to this report.
