At the end of a presidential campaign in which Pennsylvania was transformed into a 45,000-square-mile political arena, Vice President Kamala Harris made a final call on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Monday for the state’s coveted 19 electoral votes.

“Everybody needs to vote in Pennsylvania, and you’re going to decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania,” said Harris, who addressed a late-night crowd that had waited in a decided November chill for a raucous, hours-long rally on the Parkway.

invoking Rocky (naturally), she said: “It is good to return to the City of Brotherly Love, where the foundation of our democracy was forged, and here, on these famous steps, a tribute to those who begin as those who begin and climb to victory .”

For all their differences, Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, agreed again Monday, insisting that the route to the White House runs through the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The event culminated a day in which the two ping pong across the keystone state, presenting closing arguments with bookend rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Echoing what he has said elsewhere, Trump said at PPG Paints Arena: “If we win Pennsylvania, we win everything.”

Trump, who was making a final visit to the swing state of Michigan in the early hours of Election Day, again repeated false claims that voter fraud cost him the 2020 election and predicted that this time he would win in a “landslide that is too big for the facility.”

The Harris event, featuring Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, The Roots and Oprah Winfrey, among others, was akin to a Philly Parkway festival. He evoked the rally on the eve of the 2016 elections for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at Independence Mall, featuring concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi.

” READ MORE: Lady Gaga, The Roots, Ricky Martin, Jazmine Sullivan and more open for Kamala Harris at the Art Museum

But Harris obviously hopes for a better outcome. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker invited the Parkway crowd to think about how they felt that morning after Election Day 2016.

Rally attendee Anjali Thapar, a professor at Philadelphia University, recalled crying that morning. “I was so devastated by what we did as a country and I just don’t want to go back,” she said. “I’m nervous. I am. But I have hope.”

Along with the cold, the air of festivity was mixed with a measure of anxiety as polls continue to show the nominees are in a virtual tie in the largest of swing states, what New Jersey Democratic US Senator Cory Booker called “the swingiest.” And it just so happens that southeastern Pennsylvania is the most populous region of the state.

“Philly always deserves this kind of recognition,” said Stephen Pierce, 28, of Havertown. He was dressed as a Continental Army soldier from 1776 – it’s a battlefield state – which he wears to work as a tour guide at Fort Mifflin. “But I’m not going to lie, it’s disturbing to know that all our votes are successful.”

In Pittsburgh, Trump insisted that “fake news” was behind those polls showing the race was close and addressed a menu of his signature themes. including transgender reporting athletes’ participation in sports and blaming the media for overestimating the importance of the problem.

Referring to the summertime assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., in which he was injured, Trump said: “A lot of people said God saved me to save America.”

Harris also made an appearance in Pittsburgh, speaking briefly before flying across the state. “Are you ready to make your voice heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in America’s promise and are we ready to fight for it?” she said.

A large crowd awaiting her arrival 300 miles away at the other end of the highway began to appear hours early. They were greeted with the sounds of a DJ playing 1979’s We Are Family mega hit by Philadelphia’s Sister Sledgewhich also happened to be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ anthem the last time they won the World Series.

Nathaniel Bowman — a 22-year-old political science student at the University of the District of Columbia — was first in line after arriving at 12:15 p.m. To pass the time, Bowman said he slept on a park bench and took long walks. to avoid the cold on one of the coldest mornings of the season and ordered several coffees via Uber Eats.

Bowman said he had been “nervous over the last few days, weeks, months really”, but was encouraged afterwards a recent poll showed Harris unexpectedly ahead in Iowa.

Among the early arrivals was James Garnett, 51, who said he passed out “30-something” gin and tonics to those waiting in line until the gates opened at 4pm. Garnett showed up at lunch with several handles of gin, pretzels, a pint of Wawa lemonade and straight-from-the-bottle bourbon.

“It’s a rally,” Garnett, 51, said. “It should feel like a party.” Garnett flew in from Seattle on Friday; was going to write a check, but decided to volunteer and canvassed in Montgomery County.

Hundreds of people had already lined the Benjamin Franklin Parkway by 3 p.m., four hours before the festivities began, when Philly-born R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan took the stage with a cover of “What’s Going On” by the late Marvin Gaye, a legend. from Motown in Michigan.

Performers included Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin, introduced by rapper Fat Joe, who ripped Trump for unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants they ate cats and dogs.

” READ MORE: Harris and Trump present dueling visions for the country in their home turf on the eve of the Pennsylvania election

The shows were mostly short, apparently to accommodate a live campaign schedule that included performances from several rallies across the country, including Katy Perry in Pittsburgh and James Taylor in Raleigh.

That meant long breaks between shows, with the crowd spending the time rocking out to Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood tunes or having fun with “EAGLES… Eagles!” weigh. (Are you surprised?)

Sara Grimaldi, 22, who sang along to Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’, said she supported Harris because “I’m both a woman and a queer and I’d like him not to i wake up every day wondering if i will continue to have or not. rights.” She said that while she was prepared to protest Harris’ policies, which she found unacceptable, “The difference is I’d rather be with her than someone who doesn’t want to listen.”

Valerie Frank, a Downingtown Democrat, brought her 6-year-old daughter, Addison, to the rally. Frank said she wanted her first-grader to witness history as the little girl, wearing a purple tutu dress, twirled next to her.

“It’s a big moment,” Frank said. “I thought about it in 2016, but I really hope I won’t be disappointed again.”

Writer Dan DeLuca contributed to this article.