First Lady Pool Reports of October 26, 2024

FLOTUS Pool report #1 - Canvass launch, Lansdowne, Pa.

First Lady Jill Biden gave remarks at a Harris-Walz canvass launch with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and Delaware County AFL-CIO at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, PA.

Union workers and other volunteers filled the gymnasium waiting for Biden to arrive. Some union representatives stood behind tables with canvass packets and two banners that read "Pennsylvania Teachers for Democracy Harris Walz" and "Harris Walz The Choice for Unions." Attendees signed the banners with slogans like "We are not going back" and "Teachers for Harris-Walz" using markers.

A DJ and harp player duo called Kuf Knotz and Christineelise played music before the programming began as volunteers were in the venue.

Attendees stood in a U shape behind a black rope while listening to speakers who delivered remarks before the First Lady arrived.

Arthur Steinberg, president of AFT Pennsylvania and president of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said in his remarks that "The one overriding theme for me is private sector, public sector labor will not be defeated."

State Rep. Gina Curry (D-PA-164) referenced that volunteers were in a gymnasium and said: "Game day is coming. Game day is here." She encouraged attendees to knock on doors, vote, and make sure people turn their ballots over when they vote in order to vote for all the races on the ballot.

U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5) said: "We are doing the work in front of us to get every last voter to the polls in Pennsylvania."

First Lady Jill Biden arrived at 10:37 a.m. She smiled and waved to the crowd of volunteers while standing inside the roped off area. She wore a pink blazer over a dress with flowers on it.

Antoinette Calimag, a science teacher at Mastbaum High School, then introduced the first lady.

After being introduced, the first lady made brief remarks. In her remarks, she encouraged the volunteers to think back to how they felt the morning after the 2016 election. "We cannot let that happen again," she said.

Biden is a union member and teacher. When she said she has been teaching for 40 years, someone shouted "44!" from the crowd. "Fourty-four. There's always one, right?" Biden said and laughed with the crowd.

"I feel like you're just family to me," Biden said.

After her remarks, the first lady walked along the crowd from the inside of the roped off area to greet the attendees. She shook the attendees hands. She also posed for photos and took selfies with the attendees. Some attendees crowded around the rope to take selfies with the first lady in the background.

The first lady left the venue at 10:50 a.m. There was not a press gaggle.

Press background from the Harris-Walz Campaign: First Lady Jill Biden kicked off a Harris-Walz canvass launch with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and Delaware County AFL-CIO at Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne, PA.

Here is a pre-program speaker list provided by the Harris campaign:

Ed Brown, Mayor, Upper Darby Township (D-PA)
Dr. Monica Taylor, Chair, Delaware County Council
State Representative Gina Curry, (D-PA-164) State Representative Heather Boyd (D-PA-163)
State Senator Tim Kearney (D-26-PA) Art Steinberg, President, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
Todd Farally, Chair, Delaware County AFL- CIO
Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5)

Introducer: Antoinette Calimag, Science Teacher, Mastbaum High School.

FLOTUS Pool Report #2 - Thanking supporters at coffee shop in Sharpsburg, PA

First Lady Jill Biden visited Red Hawk Coffee Roasters in Sharpsburg, PA on Saturday afternoon to thank supporters and volunteers.

FLOTUS arrived to the coffee shop at 4:16 wearing a light blue floral dress with a dark blue blazer and dark blue heels. She was joined by Pennsylvania State Representative Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny).

FLOTUS spoke privately with Steele and took photos with her before greeting the crowd. Steele introduced FLOTUS to her family.

FLOTUS gave brief remarks at 4:19. She thanked supporters for their work campaigning for Democrats.

"As you know, the margins this year are so close, and from what Mandy told me, she was the one who turned the legislature blue, so we have to keep it blue," she said. "We have to vote Democrat up and down the ticket. It's all of you who make the difference. I know you think, oh, one vote doesn't count, but remember, every vote counts."

FLOTUS asked supporters to remember how they felt waking up after the 2016 election and use that feeling to motivate them to keep volunteering.

"Remember the feeling you had that morning? It was like, oh if we had only knocked on more doors, if we had made more calls, if we had talked to more people," she said. "That's why it all counts, because I don't want you to wake up and think to yourself, oh if we had only done a little bit more for Mandy, because everything you do makes a difference. Every person you talk to, whether it's at school, whether it's in your church, whether it's your book group, whether you see somebody in your neighborhood, every vote counts. And I know you all believe that, so I'm really preaching to the choir."

FLOTUS spoke directly to Steele's four children, highlighting the importance of learning how politics and government work while giving them advice on navigating childhood with a parent involved in politics.

"I had three children, they were little like you and they had politics their whole life and sometimes people weren't so nice to them because of their dad," she said. "It actually helped them in life to deal with adversity or bad things that could happen. So, if you could put it in a positive light or just keep your sense of humor and just say, oh that person is a jerk."

After speaking, FLOTUS stood and took photos with supporters in attendance. FLOTUS and the motorcade left the coffee shop around 4:45.

FLOTUS Pool report #3 - Remarks at Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers in Pittsburgh, PA

First Lady Jill Biden and the motorcade arrived at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers at 5:00.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis took the stage at 5:08, highlighting his upbringing in a working class family.

"I've seen what working class families go through every day to put ends meet, to make sure that they can educate their children to make sure that they can get ahead," he said. "The choice in this race could not be clearer. There is only one candidate in this race that's fighting for working class families like mine and yours, and that's Kamala Harris."

Shortly after Davis finished speaking, Melanie Williams, executive board member of PFT Local 400, took to the podium and briefly introduced FLOTUS.

"I remember how excited I was when I first learned that our First Lady was a teacher. It's nice to have someone that truly understands what teachers do," Williams said.

FLOTUS took to the stage at 5:14 and was met with applause from those in attendance. She remarked on the state rivalry between eastern and western Pennsylvania.

"It's wonderful to be here in my home state, even if it's in Steelers country. Yes, I'm a Philly girl. Even though we have some few irreconcilable differences, like Flyers vs. the Penguins, Steelers vs. the Eagles, Sheetz vs. Wawa, I know we can agree on a few things," she said. "Number one, we all want to see the Patriots lose. Number two, we love the Commonwealth with all our hearts and we know that the path to electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz runs through the Keystone State."

FLOTUS thanked Davis and Pennsylvania State Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) for attending and the PFT for hosting before pivoting to how this election season is impacting children and students.

"Teachers know what's at stake in this election. Our students are watching and they're looking to us to explain what they're seeing on the television and on social media, and then rely on us to show them what we value in this country, that our differences are precious and our similarities are infinite. That true strength comes through kindness and respect," she said. "We can demonstrate to our kids [by] who we elect in November, and that's why educators are going to make the difference and make sure that Pennsylvania votes for Kamala Harris."

FLOTUS reminded the audience of her experience as a teacher and said "Kamala Harris recognizes your service" because "there's a reason why she picked a former teacher as her running mate."

"Kamala knows how you spend your weekends grading piles of paper — I was grading on the way here on the plane — and how about how we put extra granola bars in our desk drawers, right, because someone might come to school without breakfast or lunch, and how educators don't leave the hard work to someone else. We are doers, we are problem solvers, and so is Kamala Harris," she said.

FLOTUS shared stories she heard from Harris about how her mother raised her, saying Harris is a "decisive, strong leader" because her mother taught her "the power to create change." While FLOTUS asked the audience to vote for Harris, a child in attendance interrupted the speech, causing FLOTUS to remark "I love when kids get involved."

"They don't look at politics like some dirty, nasty thing. They look at it like honorable people run for office, too," she said.

FLOTUS reminded attendees of the 2016 election, eliciting groans from the audience, and said "we cannot let that happen again." She encouraged attendees to vote early and convince others to vote.

"We have to work harder than we've ever worked before. We have to push further than we've pushed in the past. We have to meet this moment as if our democracy is on the line because it is," she said. "We will elect a new generation of leaders. We will choose a new path forward. Let's elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."

FLOTUS left the podium at 5:22 to greet and shake hands with attendees and then left the room at 5:26.