The first Harris-Walz event was almost exactly like Trump’s earliest rallies

The first thing you noticed was the line.

For security reasons, you can’t just order a ride-share to drop you off at the door to an event venue where the Vice President of the United States — or any candidate with Secret Service protection — is speaking.

Police generally set up a perimeter a few blocks out and keep anyone but authorized persons and vehicles from getting close to the event site. Tuesday’s campaign rally with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was no different.

But upon alighting from my vehicle, I couldn’t help but notice a blocks-long, snaking queue that would have made any of my British colleagues feel right at home.

Hundreds — possibly a thousand — people were lined up, moving slowly towards tents with metal detectors in the muggy Philadelphia heat. Meanwhile, misting fans and dutiful campaign staffers passing out water kept the queued-up fans from getting heatstroke as a consequence of their enthusiasm for the newly-minted Democratic ticket.

It was far more people than I’d seen in line for any event put on by a Democratic presidential candidate since the pandemic put an end to normal campaigning in March 2020. Bigger than the “drive-in” rallies hosted by President Joe Biden’s victorious 2020 campaign, and far bigger than any event he or his party had put on during the 15 months between when he announced his bid for re-election and when he shocked the world by standing aside in favor of Vice President Harris.

By the time your correspondent reached the press section of the Temple University-owned arena, the top deck of seating behind where Harris and Walz were set to speak was almost full. There were still several hours to go until the evening’s program was due to start.