Kamala Harris to hold rally, concert on Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway Monday before election
Vice President Kamala Harris will have a rally and concert near the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Monday, the day before the 2024 presidential election, according to text messages sent out by the Harris/Walz campaign and Pennsylvania Democrats.
The event will feature special guests from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the bottom of the Art Museum's steps.
According to the Harris campaign, the vice president will be joined by DJ Cassidy, Fat Joe, Freeway and Just Blaze, Lady Gaga, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ricky Martin, The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan and Adam Blackstone and Oprah Winfrey.
Chopper 3 was over the Art Museum, where a stage was built at the bottom of the steps.
The Philadelphia Art Museum, along with the following institutions along the Parkway, will be closed on Monday:
- Barnes Foundation
- The Franklin Institute
- The Rodin Museum
- Moore College of Art & Design
- The Academy of Natural Sciences
- Parkway Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia
- Parkway Visitor Center and Rocky Shop
"On Monday, Nov. 4, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, along with the Rodin Museum, will be closed to both the public and PMA staff. There is a public event taking place on the Parkway that day, at the bottom of the museum's steps," a spokesperson for the Art Museum said in a statement.
Harris will hold a similar event in Pittsburgh on Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The campaign announced that performers D-Nice, Katy Perry and Andra Day would be in attendance in Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia road closures for the Parkway campaign event
Multi-phased road closures for the event began Friday morning, with Philadelphia closing Eakins Oval between Kelly Drive and Spring Garden Street at 8 a.m. The city said the streets will be closed until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The second phase will begin Saturday morning and last until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the city, Phase 2 includes closing inbound traffic on Kelly Drive from 25th Street to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Kelly Drive and Benjamin Franklin Parkway (the inner and outer lanes) between 22nd and 24th streets. The streets will be closed from 8 a.m. Saturday until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The third and final phase will be from 5 a.m. Monday to about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Here is what will be closed in Phase 3:
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway, beginning at 18th Street and extending west through Eakins Oval to 25th Street
- 19th Street between Arch and Callowhill streets
- 20th Street between Arch and Vine streets
- 21st Street between Winter and Hamilton streets
- 22nd Street between Winter and Spring Garden streets
- 23rd Street between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue
- Spring Garden Street Tunnel
- Spring Garden Street Bridge
- Kelly Drive between Fairmount Avenue and Eakins Oval
- Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between the Falls Bridge and Eakins Oval
- I-676 westbound off-ramp at 22nd Street
Beginning at 6 a.m., Kelly Drive will be closed from the Strawberry Mansion Bridge.
The city said the I-676 eastbound off-ramp at 23rd Street will remain open during Phase 3.
Philadelphia will also implement parking restrictions in the area on the following streets:
- Pennsylvania Avenue between 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue (south side of street)
- Winter Street between 20th and 22nd streets (both sides of street)
- 22nd Street between Winter and Spring Garden street (both sides of street)
- Park Towne Place, between 22nd and 24th streets (both sides of street)
- Spring Garden Street between 22nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
- Race Street, between 19th and 20th streets
Candidates set sights on Pennsylvania in final days before election
Harris and former President Donald Trump have focused on battleground Pennsylvania, which has 19 votes in the Electoral College, in the runup to Election Day.
Harris made several campaign stops across Philadelphia over the weekend, and former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen and John Legend rallied for her in North Philadelphia Monday.
Trump spoke at an event in Drexel Hill, Delaware County, and rallied in Allentown Tuesday. In recent days, his campaign and that of Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick sued Bucks County over long lines and voters being turned away when trying to request and submit mail ballots there. A judge ruled Wednesday that Bucks County voters will be able to apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot until the close of business on Friday, Nov. 1.
While Philadelphia remains deeply blue, turnout in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties could prove vital to who wins Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton had a rally the day before the 2016 election near Independence Hall that featured Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
CBS News polling shows Harris and Trump are tied in Pennsylvania.
