By Karen Stokes
From Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, along with local and national democrats make an appearance on a political stage in Milwaukee to support Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with 12 days left until Election Day.
NBA legend Terry Porter, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Governor of Maryland Wes Moore and Harris’ brother-in-law, Tony West, and Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes teamed up at Clinton Rose Park, 3045 N Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Drive for a “Dunk for Democracy” Block Party.
The event aimed to encourage early voting and support for the Harris-Walz ticket, as well as Wisconsin Democrats down the ballot. “None of us ever want to go back to a Donald Trump presidency. We’re voting for the future; we’re voting for those who can’t vote. This is about getting others engaged,” said Barnes.
Using a basketball analogy, Porter emphasized the importance of every vote: “Every second counts in basketball, and in this election, every vote will count. We need to stay in the game, stay on the court, and get this done right.”
Rivers expressed his views passed on through family concerning leadership: “My dad used to tell me that the president should be a role model. Kamala stands for everything right.
When you look at the other guy, you think about a bully, a man who doesn’t tell the truth. When you go to the polls, there’s only one choice. She is leading us forward because we are not going back! This is the fourth quarter, the most important quarter.”
Emhoff praised his wife’s commitment: “It’s only been 13 weeks, she stepped up when we needed someone. Nobody handed her this nomination. She said she was going to earn it, unite the party, and unite the country. She’s ready to be commander in chief on day one.”
He reiterated the significance of the upcoming election: “This is not just the most important election of our lifetime; it’s the most important in the history of this country. This is generational.”
In Wisconsin, early voting opened this past Tuesday, with nearly 100,000 Wisconsinites casting ballots on the first day. According to the Wisconsin Examiner, 12,282 voters from Milwaukee County participated.