Vice President Kamala Harris introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate during an electric rally held at Temple University’s Liacouras Center on Tuesday, the first stop of a national tour to jointly campaign the newly announced ticket. 

Harris’ first rally as the Democratic Party’s official presidential nominee came at the end of an intense vice presidential search and featured an all-star lineup of Pennsylvania Democrats, including Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, United States Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Only two weeks removed from President Joe Biden’s unprecedented decision to depart the 2024 presidential race, the speakers presented a united, reinvigorated Democratic front. As Harris and Walz preached to the crowd about "bringing back the joy,"  The Daily Pennsylvanian’s photographers were on the ground capturing the re-energized Democratic crowd, moment by moment.

3:24 p.m. 

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Lines of supporters, eagerly anticipating their first glimpse at Harris and her freshly minted vice presidential nominee, steadily flowed into Liacouras Center starting at 2 p.m. 

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4:22 p.m. 

The opening section of the rally featured remarks from an array of Democratic party leaders. DNC Chair Harrison kicked off the event, thanking attendees for their presence and reminding the audience of the importance of their continued engagement with the Harris campaign. 

4:35 p.m.

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Philadelphia Mayor and 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate Cherelle Parker entered the stage to an enthusiastic round of applause from her constituents. Parker told attendees to “put on [their] chucks” and organize their friends and neighbors for the November election. 

4:54 p.m.

U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) each delivered brief remarks following Parker’s speech. Fetterman’s speech reminded attendees of their choice this fall — Harris and Walz or some “really weird dudes,” referring to 1968 Wharton graduate and former president Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). Casey, who is up for re-election in November, spoke about his hopes to defeat his Republican opponent, David McCormick, during his address.

5:26 p.m. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another of Harris’ vice presidential finalists, was welcomed with raucous applause from the rally’s attendees. Shapiro reciprocated with a rousing speech, praising Harris and Walz while poking fun at the Republican ticket. As Shapiro mentioned Vance, the crowd broke out into chants of “he’s a weirdo” — the now-iconic one-liner that vaulted Walz to the forefront of Harris’ shortlist of potential running mates. The governor ended his speech by reaffirming his faith: “I lean on my family, and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve.”

5:58 p.m.

As the first drum kicks of “Freedom” by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar boomed out, the crowd roared. Harris and Walz emerged from the curtain, gesturing to the audience before joining hands. 

Harris stepped up to the podium first. In her speech, Harris touched on her admiration for her running mate and the stakes of the election and delivered several zingers aimed at Trump. Having brought cases against abusers and fraudsters, the former California District Attorney told the crowd she “… know[s] Donald Trump’s type.”

6:30 p.m. 

Walz finally stepped up to the mic following a long ovation from Harris and the 14,000 attendees. Walz touched on his reverence for his midwestern roots, taking direct aim at his Republican counterpart’s past employment at venture capital firms and controversial comments on Appalachia. As anticipated, Walz tapped into the plainspoken humor that garnered him national recognition, calling the Republican ticket “weird” and “creepy.” Walz received the loudest applause of the night following a tongue-in-cheek remark on his excitement to debate Vance this fall — “that is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up” — playing off of a satirical post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that went viral last month. 

6:49 p.m. 

The audience rose to their feet for a final ovation as the 2024 Democratic ticket members — joined by second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Walz’s wife, Gwen Walz— left the stage. Amid Harris’ rising election prospects, her Philadelphia supporters left the arena unified and energized for the final electoral sprint.