With millions of Americans across the country casting ballots, Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by a phone bank at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
She was met with cheers from the staff when she walked into the room — and even more when she announced she came bearing snacks: Doritos, a reference to an anecdote that she ate an entire family-size bag of the popular flavored tortilla chips in 2016 when Donald Trump won the election.
“I just wanted to come by and thank everybody for all you are doing,” Harris said. “This truly represents the best of who we are, just reaching out to folks, letting them know that we’re all in it together, reminding them of the power of their vote, to use their voice, this is just the best, and I just thank you all so very much.”
The vice president then remarked that she was “interrupting” someone who was on the phone, to laughter from the room, before someone handed her a cellphone.
“Hi Alexandria, it’s Kamala,” Harris said to the person on the phone, adding: “I am well. Have you voted already?”
After a pause: “You did? Thank you!” And the room cheered again.
“Thank you so very much, it’s so important that everybody participates and I thank you, because I’m sure you’ve got a lot of other things you can be doing,” Harris added, before thanking them for voting and wishing them a good rest of their day.
Later, she spoke to a voter who said they were looking at Harris talking to her on live television. She turned to the camera. “Okay, I’m waving at you!”
When she left the phone bank, reporters asked how she was feeling. The vice president replied that she’s “gotta talk to voters.”
Harris spent the morning of Election Day calling into drive-time radio in battleground states, encouraging Americans to take to the polls in the final hours before they close and making clear she expects the race to be tight.
“We just got to get everybody out to vote though, I know there is a lot of support and pride but, this is gonna be – talk about history, this is going to be historically one of the tightest races ever for president,” Harris said in an interview with The Big Tigger Morning Show on V103 Atlanta on Tuesday.
Along with The Big Tigger Morning Show in Georgia, the vice president participated in interviews in Pennsylvania on Power 99 in Philadelphia with Cappuchino and KDKA NewsRadio in Pittsburgh with Larry Richert; Foxy 107.2 with Karen Clark in Raleigh, North Carolina; 101.7 The Truth in Milwaukee in Wisconsin; KCEP with Lady AK in Las Vegas, Nevada; and Radio Campesina Networkm which is based in Phoenix in Arizona, but also reaches Nevada, according to the Harris campaign.
“The path to the White House runs through North Carolina,” Harris told Raleigh's Foxy 107.1. “And it’s a tight race. We are tied. Every vote matters.”
“This is about turning the page and bringing in a new generation of leadership for America,” Harris said, telling the host she plans to work the phones until polls close to get out every vote she can.
The Harris campaign said the vice president would call into more radio shows for interviews later Tuesday. She is set to hold her election night watch party on Tuesday at Howard University in Washington, her alma mater.
Asked about the location choice during her interview on The Big Tigger Morning Show, Harris recounted how the first office she ever ran for was freshman class representative at Howard, a historically Black institution calling Tuesday night a “full-circle” moment.
“To go back tonight to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, and be able to hopefully recognize this day for what it is, is really, it’s full-circle for me,” Harris said. “And, you know, if elected, I’ll be the first HBCU president.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.