- 6 weeks ago
LAS VEGAS, NV — In a move that signaled the high stakes of the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, former Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage yesterday, May 7, for an intimate and high-energy fireside chat hosted by the Nevada Democratic Party.
Joined by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno and Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui, Harris laid out a clear-eyed vision for the party’s path forward, focusing on grassroots mobilization and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
The "Joyful Work" of Democracy
The atmosphere at the Las Vegas venue was electric as Harris leaned into a familiar and resonant theme: the necessity of "hard, joyful work." Addressing a room packed with organizers and local leaders, she emphasized that the 2026 midterms are not just a political contest, but a defining moment for the character of the nation.
"We are at a crossroads where the strength of our democracy depends on the size of our determination," Harris told the audience. "Nevada has always been the 'Silver State' that shines a light for the rest of the country. When you organize here, the world takes notice."
Key Discussion Pillars
The fireside chat touched on several critical issues that are expected to define the Nevada political landscape in 2026:
Protecting Reproductive Rights: Harris praised Nevada’s leadership in codifying reproductive freedoms, warning that these rights remain under threat at the federal level.
Economic Opportunity: The conversation shifted to the "affordability agenda," with Harris highlighting the need to continue lowering costs for prescription drugs and housing—issues that hit home for many Nevadans.
2026 Midterm Mobilization: Harris called for a "nationwide mobilization," urging Democrats to compete in every district and to start the ground game now, rather than waiting for the fall.
A Focus on Local Leadership
The event also served as a major show of support for local Nevada candidates. Earlier in the day, Harris attended a fundraiser luncheon for Attorney General Aaron Ford, reinforcing the administration's commitment to holding onto key statewide offices.
Sandra Jauregui noted during the chat:
"Having the Vice President here today reminds us that we aren't just fighting for seats in a chamber; we are fighting for the families who rely on the policies we pass."
Why Nevada Matters
As a perennial swing state, Nevada remains a top priority for the Democratic National Committee. Harris’s visit—coming just weeks before early voting begins for the primaries—underscores the belief that the road to a 2026 victory runs directly through the Mojave Desert.
The event concluded with a standing ovation, leaving the Democratic base invigorated and ready for the "long haul" of the election cycle. As Harris departed, her message was clear: The work of democracy never sleeps, and in Nevada, it’s just getting started.
Joined by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno and Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui, Harris laid out a clear-eyed vision for the party’s path forward, focusing on grassroots mobilization and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
The "Joyful Work" of Democracy
The atmosphere at the Las Vegas venue was electric as Harris leaned into a familiar and resonant theme: the necessity of "hard, joyful work." Addressing a room packed with organizers and local leaders, she emphasized that the 2026 midterms are not just a political contest, but a defining moment for the character of the nation.
"We are at a crossroads where the strength of our democracy depends on the size of our determination," Harris told the audience. "Nevada has always been the 'Silver State' that shines a light for the rest of the country. When you organize here, the world takes notice."
Key Discussion Pillars
The fireside chat touched on several critical issues that are expected to define the Nevada political landscape in 2026:
Protecting Reproductive Rights: Harris praised Nevada’s leadership in codifying reproductive freedoms, warning that these rights remain under threat at the federal level.
Economic Opportunity: The conversation shifted to the "affordability agenda," with Harris highlighting the need to continue lowering costs for prescription drugs and housing—issues that hit home for many Nevadans.
2026 Midterm Mobilization: Harris called for a "nationwide mobilization," urging Democrats to compete in every district and to start the ground game now, rather than waiting for the fall.
A Focus on Local Leadership
The event also served as a major show of support for local Nevada candidates. Earlier in the day, Harris attended a fundraiser luncheon for Attorney General Aaron Ford, reinforcing the administration's commitment to holding onto key statewide offices.
Sandra Jauregui noted during the chat:
"Having the Vice President here today reminds us that we aren't just fighting for seats in a chamber; we are fighting for the families who rely on the policies we pass."
Why Nevada Matters
As a perennial swing state, Nevada remains a top priority for the Democratic National Committee. Harris’s visit—coming just weeks before early voting begins for the primaries—underscores the belief that the road to a 2026 victory runs directly through the Mojave Desert.
The event concluded with a standing ovation, leaving the Democratic base invigorated and ready for the "long haul" of the election cycle. As Harris departed, her message was clear: The work of democracy never sleeps, and in Nevada, it’s just getting started.
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NewsTranscript
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00:36Oh, it's good to be back.
00:39Hi, everyone.
00:40Danielle, thank you for that beautiful introduction and your leadership.
00:43Let's sit down and talk.
00:45Let's sit down and talk.
00:47Hi.
00:50Okay.
00:51Hey, it looks like they're ready.
00:52Well, Vice President Harris, welcome back to the Battle Born State.
01:01Hi, I've seen many friends.
01:03You've been to Nevada many times over the years, though.
01:07You're no stranger to Nevada.
01:08No, Nevada's my first cousin.
01:12But let's catch up.
01:14Fill us in.
01:15How have you been, and what have you been up to?
01:17Oh, thank you.
01:18I am well.
01:18All things considered, I am well.
01:21Doug is well and sends his best to everybody.
01:25Our kids are well.
01:28I've been traveling a lot.
01:30And, you know, I've had this real need to just listen.
01:36And so I've been traveling our country and listening to a lot of folks.
01:40And that's been good.
01:43It's been good to do.
01:45It's, you know, there's a lot of suffering, we know, and fear, and all of the emotions that one rightly
01:57feels when they see the brutality and the injustice of what we have witnessed.
02:01But I will tell you, in my travels, there's a lot that should give us hope also and renew our
02:10faith in what is possible, especially when we, like we are doing this afternoon, sit together as a community of
02:19people who care and who love and who fight for what's right
02:25and who maintain an understanding that anything that we stand for is worth fighting for.
02:35And we stand for a lot.
02:36And we're up for a good fight.
02:47We've, you know, a few of us have been traveling the state and doing just that.
02:51And I think that's really important.
02:53Yeah.
02:53Well, you recently gave a speech where you said, we need a post-Trump vision, specifically called for a revival
03:01of the American dream.
03:02And you are speaking to my heart here.
03:05I am a diehard believer in restoring the American dream because my family lived it.
03:11So can you talk to us about what that looks like?
03:15Well, let's start with this.
03:18Look, for far too many people in our country, the American dream is not real.
03:28And in fact, for many people in their lived experience, it's what they would consider an American myth.
03:36And we have to be honest about that.
03:38You know, so in my travels, I've been spending a lot of time, for example, in the South.
03:43I was in Jackson, Mississippi.
03:47And what I've been doing is meeting with, in particular, nonprofits and meeting with the folks that they serve.
03:54And so I met this woman, got to know her, and I went grocery shopping with her.
04:00She is a mother of three children.
04:05She receives SNAP benefits.
04:08She likes to do hair, but she needs a license, so she's putting herself through cosmetology school.
04:15Her weekly budget for food for the four of them is $150.
04:23We went grocery shopping.
04:24I went grocery shopping with her.
04:28At the discount grocery store, you know, the cart barely can move.
04:36She's picking out things, putting them in the cart.
04:39I then asked her, and this is a woman with grace and with dignity and poise.
04:44And I asked her, well, what's in the cart for you?
04:48And that was the only time she broke down to share that she will eat whatever the kids don't eat.
04:55She was explaining to me, you know, when we were kids, like the Chef Boyardee came in a can.
04:59It's now in like a red plastic cup.
05:02And she was explaining how it's more expensive now than it was a couple months ago.
05:08It was all tariffs and all this ridiculousness.
05:12We then go into the beverage aisle, and she's buying bottled water.
05:20Now, on that tight budget, she explained to me she's buying bottled water because, you see, the water that comes
05:26out of her tap is brown.
05:28And sometimes it's so bad she can't bathe her children in that water.
05:34And she looks at me, and she says, you know, there are a lot of people like me.
05:40And this is the thing that was most poignant.
05:43And she said, don't they see me?
05:47When they're talking about the economy as this and that, don't they see me?
05:54And she's working hard.
05:58She's taking care of her children.
06:01She loves her children.
06:02She's putting herself through school.
06:04She wants a better life for herself and her family.
06:08So when I talk about the American dream for so many people has become an American myth, I'm talking about
06:15that.
06:16I'm talking about the woman I met who shared with me she's documented.
06:21Her husband is not.
06:23Her children are born here.
06:25They are, obviously.
06:28And she's a housekeeper, and she was explaining to me how the building in which most of the folks that
06:36she knows, immigrants, live, an apartment building, it's like 30% occupancy right now.
06:42It never has been that way.
06:43Why?
06:44Because they know that these buildings are where the raids are happening.
06:48So families have moved out of those buildings and are now renting basically unfinished basements in people's house scattered out
06:59around the community so that they won't be a target.
07:03So paying more money than they should ever be paying for an unfinished basement.
07:08How women that live in her community are not going to the hospital to give birth.
07:18For fear that their baby will be taken from them.
07:22These things are happening in America.
07:27So when I think about all of this, and I think about the fact that right here in Nevada, because
07:32of what's going on, you know, we can talk about, you know, we can talk.
07:39We're going to get to that.
07:42We're going to get to that.
07:43But here in Nevada, it costs 20 more dollars at least to fill your tank than it did months ago.
07:51Here in Nevada, it costs $1,500 more a year because of all the tariffs.
07:58Right?
07:59Which we predicted.
08:02When you look at how many people are struggling, I just say that it is time for us, I think,
08:11to agree as part of our vision that not only are we going to deal with the crises of this
08:16moment and fight and march and organize and vote,
08:23but we also have to have a vision, and part of that vision in my mind has to be about
08:31a revival of the American dream, an American revival.
08:37And, you know, I'm talking about good old home, like, revival.
08:40You know, like, if any of you have been, like, at a church revival, you know, there's some shouting and
08:45some singing and some dancing and some, like, it can be good.
08:49Right?
08:51But a revival.
08:53And what does that look like?
08:55Well, where if you work a 40-hour week, you can afford your rent and food on the table and
09:05maybe a vacation from time to time, not scraping to get by, praying you can get through the end of
09:12the month.
09:13What does that look like?
09:14It means affordable housing, affordable childcare, and not scraping to get by, when right now in America, childcare is, in
09:26some places, more expensive than rent.
09:30When we talk about caring about families, revival of the American dream, where we have a tax code that's not
09:37just about benefiting vast wealth, but about benefiting hard work.
09:43A public education system.
09:50Revival of the American dream, revival of the American dream, where we have a public education system that is about
09:56preparing our young, bright minds for the workforce of the 21st century and not for a lifetime of debt.
10:04These are the things.
10:09And so that's what I'm talking about and thinking about and calling for, which is we know that when we
10:19have been at that state where we believe that hard work pays off,
10:25that being engaged in the community and being a responsible civic member, right, engaged in our community, that that pays
10:38off.
10:40Because right now, there's so many people who don't believe that they can dream and actually achieve something.
10:52And I've traveled not only around our country, but around the world.
10:57And when you look at what is happening in our country in terms of our psyche right now, we've got
11:05some work to do.
11:05And it's going to be the work of all of us, by the way.
11:08I know it's the work of the people in this room.
11:10That's why we're all here together this afternoon.
11:12But it's got to be all of us, right?
11:17I mean, I think part of it is about a civic renewal.
11:21You know, I'm traveling and people ask me all the time, what can I do?
11:27Well, you all know what to do.
11:28That's why we're all here together.
11:30That's why you're active in the party.
11:32That's why you're knocking on doors and organizing and reminding people of the power of their vote.
11:37You know, a civic renewal.
11:39People say, well, what does that mean?
11:40I said, well, you know, like they've been cutting all the benefits to all of these nonprofits who are taking
11:45care of the homeless,
11:47who are taking care of families who are in need.
11:50Volunteer, right?
11:52You'd be shocked, the number of nonprofits that if you call them up and say, hey, I got 10 extra
11:57dollars, can I send it to you?
11:59Or I got one day a month that I can come in for a few hours, what that would mean.
12:03I'm like, heck, you know what?
12:05Do the things that are about the power of neighbor to neighbor, right?
12:09The power of the individual in a community.
12:12It could mean, you know, you're going to go on a Costco run, and then you tell that single father
12:19or single mother that, you know, hey, I'm about to run the Costco.
12:23Can I pick up anything for you?
12:26Because in this environment right now, people are feeling so unseen and heard, and they're feeling so alone.
12:36And when we try to think about how are we going to get through this, we cannot let these forces
12:44that are about brutality, we cannot let this administration that is the most corrupt, callous, and incompetent presidential administration we've
12:54ever seen.
13:00We cannot let them distinguish our spirit.
13:04They can't extinguish our spirit.
13:07We have each of us a light inside of us.
13:11We've known those moments where we enjoyed this so much.
13:15It was in each of us.
13:17Nobody gave it to any of us.
13:19It was in us, and we saw it in each other, that light, and in particular in moments of darkness.
13:28That light is most important.
13:32And so that's how I'm thinking about this moment.
13:35And when I talk about, you know, I'm calling for a revival of the American dream, it's about all of
13:43that.
13:43But it is about putting the power with the people.
13:46All right.
13:47Thank you for that.
13:53I want to say thank you because there were a couple of things you said.
13:57You know, you talked about Americans not believing, and I agree.
13:59I think they're facing a crisis of hope right now.
14:01And so thank you for fighting for restoring that American dream to make it a dream and no longer a
14:06myth.
14:06And you said you went grocery shopping with a woman.
14:11You met her where she was.
14:13You went out and you met the voters where they were.
14:16And you probably made her feel seen for the first time in a very long time.
14:22So thank you.
14:28I have another question for you.
14:31So often here in America, we can feel isolated from the impacts of global issues.
14:37But right now, we aren't.
14:39We have gas prices soaring.
14:41And a lot of us look at what's happening with U.S. leadership around the world, and we are incredibly
14:47concerned and scared sometimes, too.
14:51You spent a lot of your time as vice president working to rebuild America's relationships.
14:56What do you think about what's happening right now?
14:59And do you think America's reputation can recover?
15:07So, you know, that's actually a great segue from where we were.
15:11Because, like, a revival of the American dream includes that we as a nation agree that it is consistent with
15:20that dream
15:21and creating opportunity in our nation that we would have and invest in affordable health care and affordable housing.
15:29and affordable child care, and not in a war that nobody wants.
15:34Right?
15:36Billions of dollars.
15:39And so, you know, where we are, I'm very concerned, I must admit.
15:45But I think we can get on the other side of this, and I also believe it's going to take
15:51some time.
15:53As vice president of the United States, I've met with over 150 world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, and kings,
16:03many of them multiple times.
16:04And I've developed relationships with them, and I will tell you something, Donald Trump is the first president of the
16:14United States, of either party, Republican or Democrat,
16:17Democrat, since World War II, who has thumbed his nose at the importance of America's relationships with our allies.
16:28Thumbed his nose at it, walked away from them, points fingers at them, calls them names, degrades them in the
16:36Oval Office.
16:36He's the first president of the United States, of either party, who has not assumed a responsibility, imperfect though we
16:47may be, to be a standard bearer around international rules and norms, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.
16:56See what's happening in Ukraine, first one, and you know, these relationships, foreign relations, it's really like relationships in your
17:07personal life.
17:09So, your friendships, the strength of a friendship will be based on, do we have mutually recognized the history of
17:18the relationship, where we've been, what we've been through.
17:21Is there truth? Is there truth and honesty in the relationship? Is there consistency in the relationship? Can I count
17:28on you? Are you present?
17:33And he has abandoned so many of these relationships. NATO.
17:40Understand, listen, as vice president, I went and represented the United States of America at the Munich Security Conference every
17:49year.
17:49And I would speak in front of our NATO allies in Munich, and I'll tell you, the first time I
17:56went, I realized how much the 1930s are in their blood and bones as a memory of how things can
18:09go and how bad it can be.
18:13And not as much, I think, in our memory, of what tyranny and fascism and brutality and abuse of power
18:24can look like.
18:26You know, when I look at what's happening, in addition to all of that and because of it, we are
18:34losing.
18:36We are losing. We have become, America has become more unreliable.
18:41We've become unreliable to our friends.
18:45Unreliable as a friend. To the young leaders here, you don't want to ever be an unreliable friend.
18:52And we have also, therefore, lost our influence.
18:59And again, I will say, imperfect though we certainly are, whatever influence that we may have had to talk about
19:08issues like human rights, democracy,
19:13democracy, we're losing our influence, and what that will mean is extraordinary in terms of America's security and prosperity.
19:29Because, you know, let's remember, when America isolated ourselves, we have a history of this.
19:36And then Pearl Harbor happened.
19:40And then we decided, oh, we have to, we can't, we can't go it alone and disregard what's happening in
19:48the world.
19:50So I'm very concerned about it.
19:53And, you know, when you look at this war in Iran, which the American people do not want,
20:01which was not authorized by conference, but even if it was, it should not have been initiated.
20:07He talked about obliterating, and then he said, oh, he didn't.
20:10It's all just bullshit.
20:14Bullshit.
20:19You made me do that.
20:22I promise I'm not going to curse in public anymore.
20:27We're in a room amongst friends.
20:29You made me do that.
20:30She was over here just saying.
20:36But what is happening, though, is we are not only losing our authority,
20:44we are literally engaged where we're talking about billions of dollars,
20:51where we're talking about gas prices going up,
20:55where we're talking about the American people's suffering.
20:59And for what?
21:02And that's, you know, this is part of how we have to understand how the irresponsibility
21:08of this administration is profound.
21:11And by the way, back to the analogy about friendships.
21:14So as vice president, I also spent a lot of time in the context of the Indo-Pacific
21:20and in the Indo-Pacific.
21:22I traveled and spent a lot of time with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore,
21:29Indonesia.
21:31Because, you know, we here on this coast of the country,
21:34we know that our relationship to the Indo-Pacific is a direct one.
21:38And so I spent time with the leaders of those nations,
21:42understanding that where we can have and find common ground, we must.
21:48So they have pretty much completely abandoned that focus.
21:53And as we all know, nature abhors a vacuum.
21:57So guess who's moving on in?
21:59Somebody asked me recently, where does China fit into all this?
22:01And I kind of flippantly said, well, they're just sitting back eating the popcorn.
22:06But really what's happening is they're moving in to fill a void.
22:11I spent time as vice president working on re-changing the narrative
22:18between the relationship of the United States of America with the continent of Africa.
22:22That it should not only be about aid, but it should be about partnership.
22:26Understanding that by 2050, it is estimated that one in four people on earth
22:31will be on the continent of Africa.
22:34You know how he talks about African nations.
22:38Our adversary, Russia.
22:40You want to know who's the big winner on the Iranian war?
22:43Russia.
22:46Because of the oil issue, what has he done?
22:49He's lifted sanctions on Russia.
22:51You know what that means?
22:51They're making money to sell oil that otherwise they were prevented from selling.
22:56What else does it mean?
22:57We're sending artillery, ammunition, air defense
23:02that otherwise would be going to Ukraine.
23:06So the consequences are profound.
23:11You're talking about taking over Greenland,
23:14which is a territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally.
23:19So, but anything, but he's not, I'm not going to dismiss him as being an idiot.
23:25He's dangerous.
23:28He's dangerous.
23:32And America's security and prosperity are on the, in the hands and on the line
23:41in terms of what he does and does not do.
23:46Greenland, anything we want and would have wanted, we could get diplomatically.
23:52And you're talking about, you know, Article 5 of the NATO, so I, I know y'all didn't want
23:58to hear all this, but I'm just going to share it with you.
23:59Look, the NATO alliance, right, it is, is the strongest military alliance the world has ever known.
24:10And there's a part of it, Article 5, which basically is kind of like all for one and one for
24:17all.
24:18If you are a NATO ally, if we are in both NATO allies and you get attacked, I'm stepping up
24:23to help you.
24:24Article 5.
24:26Okay?
24:27So if we're talking about initiating a military action in Greenland, that would ignite Article 5.
24:35But the second point, probably more importantly to make, do you know the only nation of all the NATO allies
24:41who has ever benefited from Article 5?
24:45Us, when our allies stepped up to support us after 9-11.
24:54So it's going to take a while, and I have traveled out of the country a couple times since the
25:00election,
25:01and here's what I will say, and then we can move on to another subject.
25:05But one of the things that I also know from my work internationally is the strength of the relationship between
25:15nations.
25:16Yes, it is dependent on all of the things we've discussed.
25:19Yes, it is also dependent on the relationship between leaders.
25:23And I do believe what fortifies it most importantly is the sense of the connection between the people of nations.
25:34And that's where we all come into play.
25:38That's where we all come into play.
25:40So we're talking about the midterms.
25:43People around the world watch what happens in our elections, obviously, and not only the election for president.
25:50So the work that we, the American people, do around these midterms will be part of what we signal about
25:58what we care about and who we are
26:00and that we have not, we in this room, have not abandoned our connection to our ideals and principles and
26:09values.
26:11Right?
26:17And speaking of the midterms, because you've referenced, you know, our NATO allies having, you know, memories of the abuse
26:24of power,
26:25and I'm hoping after these midterms, abuse of power becomes a distant memory when we win back the House and
26:31the Senate, right?
26:32But it's not going to be easy, guys.
26:35It's not going to be easy.
26:37They are throwing all kinds of obstacles in our way.
26:40That decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act?
26:45It's my next question for you.
26:46Oh, great.
26:47Yeah, so last week, the Supreme Court threw a devastating blow, right, hammering the Voting Rights Act.
26:55How do you think that's going to play into the midterm elections?
26:58I think it's going to have a profound effect.
27:00You already have seen.
27:01Look, first of all, so I was interviewed recently, and they said, the first question was, so, because it was
27:09the day of it happening,
27:11and they said, well, when you first heard about it, what did you think?
27:16And because I was in California, we're on Pacific Standard Time, it was really early in the morning.
27:24And, again, pardon my language, but so the first thing I heard about it was at the crack of dawn,
27:29and I was like, I thought this was going to happen in June.
27:34I didn't think it was going to, because normally a lot of the big cases come down in June.
27:40Okay, I'm not a conspiracy theorist.
27:42I just pay attention.
27:52So, part of, to answer the question, the midterms, why did they come down with this decision so early?
28:00To give all those states, you see what's happened, Mississippi, Tennessee most recently, Louisiana, so they could pull together what
28:09they need to do about redrawing their lines.
28:11You saw just what happened in Tennessee?
28:13Yeah.
28:13To redraw those lines, to get those ballots printed for the midterms.
28:19Understand what's happening.
28:20Yeah.
28:21I was in North Carolina.
28:23North Carolina, and let me tell you, I went to go visit a group of students, because I'd been reading
28:28about how they're organizing around voting.
28:30These students attend North Carolina A&T.
28:33It is the largest HBCU in America.
28:39These young leaders have been organizing, because the officials there took their polling place from the campus.
28:49So, whereas we raise our children, especially when they hit that age, college age, whether they're in college or not,
28:57where we want them to set up good habits.
29:01We know that that's the stage at which you will develop your patterns for what you'll do in your life.
29:08So, we want, don't we?
29:10We want that our young people will have as part of their pattern that they vote every election.
29:15Whoever they vote for, they took their polling place.
29:21And then, oh, and then when I met with them, they shared with me.
29:25So, they organized and went up to the Capitol to go speak.
29:31And do you know what they were told in the chamber?
29:34You only have five minutes.
29:36I'm not finished.
29:38You only have five minutes to leave.
29:41Whoa!
29:46The arrogance of the brutality of this attack on voting rights.
29:56And so, we should, by all accounts, based on merit, win the midterms.
30:03But it is not going to be easy.
30:06People say to me, well, you think they're going to cancel the elections?
30:09No, I don't.
30:10Because if you thought no kings rallies were a big deal, people will definitely take to the streets.
30:15I don't think they're going to do that.
30:17What they're doing systematically is making it more difficult for people to vote.
30:22Look at the SAVE Act.
30:24So, the SAVE Act that they keep pushing.
30:27So, what that would do is for new registrants to vote, to prove your identity, you'd have to have a
30:33birth certificate or a passport.
30:35Well, passports cost at least $100 to get.
30:38So, can you say poll tax?
30:42Right?
30:44If you are one of over 60 million women in America who changed your name when you were married, the
30:53name then on your birth certificate is going to be different than the name on your driver's license or your
30:59ID.
31:00Have fun going through that bureaucracy to try and reconcile that, and it's already difficult enough to try and take
31:07time off, especially if you work in two or three jobs or you have two or three children.
31:12So, this is what they're making it intentionally more difficult for people to vote because they know people are not
31:22stupid and are paying attention to the cost of gas and the cost of housing and the cost of this
31:30war and the cost of the brutality on vulnerable people who deserve to have a government that lifts them up
31:39instead of beating them down.
31:40So, let's get ready for this.
31:44This election upcoming in Nevada is going to be so important.
31:50Aaron Ford winning for governor is going to be so important.
31:56You winning.
31:59All these state races.
32:01Because, you know, so much of what's been happening is about this shift of power around local and state government.
32:10So, while we always pay attention to the presidential, which we must, these local races, these state races around the
32:20country, and I will say candidly, I think that's where, you know, the Democratic Party could have done much better
32:28around paying attention to local and statewide elections and issues and supporting that.
32:39Because that's where this is where it's bubbling up from a long-standing agenda that they've had to invest in
32:47those areas so that now you have these state legislators who are doing things like telling those students at North
32:54Carolina A&T, you have five minutes to get out.
32:59So, we have five minutes to get out.
33:00So, we have work to do.
33:01But we know how to do that work.
33:03We know how to do that work.
33:06It's like, good.
33:07Okay.
33:08So, this is our fight?
33:09All right.
33:10I got it.
33:12Right?
33:13Just tell me what the fight is.
33:14And then I know what to put on.
33:16Right?
33:23Speaking of midterms, and what I see now is a room of a fired-up Democrats ready, right?
33:30Ready?
33:31And thank you for firing them up.
33:35And we get a lot of people asking us, what can they do?
33:39You know, people are frustrated, and they want to know, what can we do?
33:43Well, you can vote, right?
33:46But we obviously have midterms ahead of us.
33:48And here in Nevada, we have reproductive rights on the ballot.
33:52Yes.
33:53It's the second time.
33:54We need to pass it this time.
33:55We passed it the first time, but we need to pass it the second time to codify it.
33:59So, Nevada is a state that prides itself on protecting choice.
34:03And we've been doing that since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
34:06But we kept telling everyone, this isn't the end.
34:09They're going to keep coming after choice.
34:11They're going to keep coming after choice.
34:12And we saw that they just did.
34:14Yeah.
34:15Again.
34:16So, what would you tell people who want to get involved?
34:21What can they do right now in this moment?
34:25Well, part of it is, again, the power that we, you know, okay, let me just step back.
34:32There's so much about this moment that has made people feel all those emotions from anger to sadness to depression,
34:41frustration for sure.
34:42But it's also made people feel hopeless and powerless and alone.
34:54And let's speak to that for a moment.
34:57You know, there is nothing that makes you know your strength and your power more than, you know how it
35:03feels when you help somebody out?
35:05Oh, it makes you feel good, doesn't it?
35:09And there's so much good that we can do, just neighbor to neighbor, that is about that, to just remind
35:18us of our power.
35:21And when, you know, when we do it, and when we all do it, what that means in terms of
35:27strengthening community around, as much as anything, around hope and a belief that we are being seen and heard.
35:36There is the work that we need to do around, first of all, everybody just check your voter registration status.
35:43Anybody you know in another state, remind them to do that.
35:46That seems like, oh, why would we do that?
35:48That's, we've never had to worry about that before.
35:50Well, with all this business of them purging the voter rolls, not to mention how they've been going and taking
35:56ballots from various states, remind people, check your voter registration status.
36:00Make sure you check your polling location.
36:02Part of the game that they're playing, again, to make it more difficult, is this shell game, closing voting, polling
36:08locations.
36:09So, you know, your parents and your grandparents always voted at that elementary school down the street.
36:14And then on election day, if that's the only day they choose to vote, they'll walk down there and it
36:18won't be there.
36:20So some of the basics, too, just let's check those things.
36:24Volunteer to be a poll worker.
36:27Volunteer on a campaign.
36:29Figure out how you can support candidates.
36:32And in that way, it is really, it's, you know, I will tell you, okay, this is a total digression.
36:41But campaigns, I've been in a lot of them for myself and others.
36:46And campaigning is fun, right?
36:49You meet the best people.
36:51You meet the angels walking among us.
36:58There are babies that have been born because of my campaigns.
37:05Marriages and babies and all that, right?
37:09That's you, the young people.
37:12But, I mean, the bottom line is this, and I know we're running out of time.
37:17I firmly and strongly believe that when you feel powerless, you are powerless.
37:25And when you feel powerful, you are powerful.
37:30And we are powerful.
37:32And we are powerful.
37:34And so let's just show ourselves, each other, our power around the midterms.
37:42And every day, and every day that we are seen, we see each other, that this is our country.
37:50We love our country, and we are going to fight for its ideals.
37:54We are going to fight for the dream.
37:58We know that that fight can be difficult.
38:01But we're not going to let them get in our head and defeat us.
38:06Because there is so much at stake and so much good, so much good to be done.
38:13So thank you all.
38:21Thank you, Vice President.
38:31Can we all get together and do a quick selfie?
38:33Can you guys kind of get in?
38:35Are you okay with that, Vice President?
38:36Okay, thank you, Vice President.
38:38Let's see.
38:38I have short arms, so you guys get in.
38:41This way.
38:41This way, guys.
38:42This way.
38:54This way.
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