By Mike Elk
PITTSBURGH, PA - Over the weekend, a video went viral of Kamala Harris hugging a crying middle-aged woman who was nervous about the election.
"It’s gonna be good. We're gonna be good. We're gonna be fine," Kamala said as she embraced and rubbed her back.
The speechless woman couldn't contain her tears, so Kamala continued to embrace her.
"We're gonna be fine. We are all in this together," said a smiling Kamala as she patted the woman's back. "We're gonna be fine".
"Yes, we are," the older woman replied, struggling to hold back tears.
"It's all good, We are standing strong. We love our country," said Kamala to the woman, who replied, "Absolutely."
With Kamla staying in Pittsburgh for the past five days to prepare for the debate, Pittsburgh has come to embrace Kamala Harris. It's a love affair that appears to be mutual, as Kamala made Pittsburgh a "home away from home" during the election.
It began here on Labor Day last week when Kamala got up on stage and became teary-eyed as she described how much she loved Pittsburgh.
Later in the week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that it would block the sale of US Steel to a Japanese company. The move proved politically popular in Western PA, where US Steel is based.
The news came as a new poll was released by Emerson College, which showed that while Trump had been leading among union voters by a margin of 50% to 45% in July, the trend has now reversed dramatically, with Kamala Harris leading among union voters by a whopping margin of 56.8% to 42%.
Rather than returning to her home in California or staying in DC to prepare for the debate, Kamala decided to stay in Pittsburgh for nearly a week, staying at the hotel on the historic site where the American Federation of Labor was founded in 1881.
Crowds of people began waiting outside the hotel, hoping to get a closeup view of the Democratic nominee, who has created excitement for a presidential candidate not seen since Obama's election.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey says that he encouraged Kamala to come to Pittsburgh to stay.
"For her to find peace and comfort right here in our city, to be able to prepare for debate, speak(s) volumes of how she feels about Pittsburgh," says Gainey.
Late yesterday, Kamala left Pittsburgh but already planned several more trips back to Pittsburgh and Western PA. On Wednesday, she'll be near Shanksville. Then, on Friday, she'll return to nearby Johnstown.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey says that Kamala has found a home away from home in Pittsburgh.
"She loves Pittsburgh. She really loves it here," says Gainey.
