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Every available Philadelphia police officer working Tuesday night for protests at the Harris-Trump debate, sources say.
It is the birthplace of U.S. independence, the “City of Brotherly Love,” and the hometown of beloved fictional boxer “Rocky” Balboa.
Now Philadelphia in Pennsylvania will be center stage again when Kamala Harris and Donald Trump meet in a highly anticipated televised debate that could weigh heavily on the November election.
Barricades have been erected around the National Constitution Center, the site of the debate, barring access to the historic area that includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the U.S. Constitution was signed.
Meanwhile, several of the city’s bars and universities are planning watch parties. Top Democrats will gather at a hotel for a watch party that Harris is expected to attend after the debate ends. Trump’s plans after the debate are not yet public.
Some Philadelphia residents said they hoped to learn more about Harris in the case of Trump, the former President has been a huge supporter of Israeli policies and organizations.
“I wasn’t, like, super impressed with her in 2020 when she had the presidential debates and for the primary,” said Dan Bessler, a Philadelphia resident and salesworker. “But she is a prosecutor… I think she’ll be able to hold her own better than Biden was able to at his age.”
Since then, Harris has broken fundraising records and sparked new enthusiasm in the party, but opinion polls suggest a tight race looms with Trump.
With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the biggest prize of the basket of battleground states expected to decide the election. Most pundits predict whoever wins Pennsylvania will win the White House.
Democrats historically win Pennsylvania by running up huge margins in Philadelphia, to offset losses throughout much of the rest of the state.
In 2020, the city saw its highest turnout since 1984 — 68% — but it paled beside the statewide figure of 76.5%.
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