First Lady Jill Biden returned to Madison Monday for the first time since her husband, President Joe Biden, dropped out of the presidential race to campaign in support of Kamala Harris. The rally was held at the WisDems campaign office on Madison’s West Side, and Biden was joined by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Biden started with a personal anecdote, emphasizing the importance of community regardless of political party. She advocated electing Vice President Kamala Harris for president because of her commitment to communities and the betterment of the country as a whole.
After expressing that a large portion of the country may not know enough about Harris, Biden told the crowd Harris’ story from high school where she found out her friend, Wanda, was being abused at home. With this knowledge, a young Harris insisted her friend come stay with her family.
“Then Kamala Harris built a career serving the public to protect women and girls like Wanda,” Biden said. “That’s the Kamala Harris that I know, and that’s the kind of president you deserve.”
Biden addressed the economy, claiming prices spiked during the pandemic, and now corporations are keeping those prices high. Biden asserted former President Donald Trump prioritizes the success of these corporations over the American people and is offering them a tax cut, while Harris will combat price gouging, or the increase of prices to a level some consider unfairly high.
“Kamala is going to fight back against corporate greed that has driven up the housing costs and she’ll give first-time home buyers $25,000 to help with their down payment,” Biden said.
After addressing the economy, Biden spoke on reproductive freedoms, saying women her age remember what it was like to live in America before Roe v. Wade.
Biden recalls how the women of her generation fought to leave their daughters and granddaughters with more rights than they had, declaring no one has to abandon their faith to agree the government should have no say in what a woman does with their body.
“Our health, safety and freedoms shouldn’t hinge on the state you live in,” Biden said. “As President, Kamala Harris will proudly sign a national law to restore reproductive freedom to every woman in every state of our country.”
Biden emphasized the importance of this election, mentioning the next elected president will likely choose new U.S. Supreme Court justices, a decision that will affect generations to come.
Upon leaving the crowd, Biden encouraged people to get involved in the election by making calls, knocking on doors, voting early and convincing others to do the same.
“We have to meet this moment as if our rights are at stake because they are, as if our freedoms are on the line because they are,” Biden said. “With determination, with persistence, with urgency, we will elect a new generation of leaders. We will choose a new way forward.”
