Lalo Alcaraz reports from the campaign trail in Pennsylvania

The day before the election: 

I skipped my usual Dia de Los Muertos celebrations in Los Angeles this year (sorry Mom and Dad) to travel the Presidential Campaign trail all the way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was time to help GOTV and show solidarity with the local, very important voters here in this pivotal state. I was joined by my partners in good trouble, Los Vote Swingers, an impromptu group we formed to help get out the vote by canvassing Latino Pennsylvania and reaching as many Latino swing state voters there and beyond through radio interviews and cartoons.

We first hit the Philly Rican Festival, a get-out-the-vote event in Philadelphia, where the Latino population is 252,400, making up 15.7% of the city's population. This fest was in North Philly, basically the main neighborhood for our Boricua buds. It was held in a large parking lot filled with food trucks and live salsa music, free Latino-themed Harris placards and dozens of enthusiastic attendees. I made 2 stops at this event and got to present legendary NYC Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez with one of my “She Se Puede” prints. Singer Frankie Negron made a quick appearance at the end of the festivities to urge the people to vote to defend the honor of Puerto Rico.

Locals are definitely angry about the very recent racist monologue delivered by a comic in support of Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden Nazi cosplay rally. The gente are outraged and motivated to vote through Election Day to punish the GOP candidate for signing off on this hideous attack. The anger and motivation were really felt at a chinchorreo, a Puerto Rican carne asada-type block party, which was held to rally Harris Walz voters. I got to address the crowd, and also do a live radio remote while folks ate lechon (roast pig) where I pointed out that Trump started his campaign bashing immigrants and Mexicans, and ended it by bashing Puerto Ricans. I said we need to be treated with respect, regardless of where we’re from. 

After this, we went to the next event- a short but energetic speech by AOC, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez herself, the famed congressperson from New York, at El Taller Puertoriqueño, a large community center in the same North Philly hood. She dazzled, along with “The View’s” Sunny Hostin and a crew of local Philly and PA electeds, including State Rep. Danilo Burgos and Matt Tuerk, the first Latino mayor of Allentown, once a white working-class city of Billy Joel song fame, and now a majority Latino town. (As of press time, Kamala Harris is holding a rally with Puerto Ricans in Allentown.)

Lalo gets his own "with tears in her eyes" moment

I ended the evening with a Voto Latino GOTV celebration at a fun Philly bar, signing prints, as I am also working with the vaunted group and its leader, Maria Teresa Kumar, to push the GOTV message throughout the nation. At the end of the night, I waited for an Uber outside my hotel, and an older white lady thanked me for my electoral efforts, then hugged me, and in tears said, “We have to win.” I reassured her that the numbers are with us, and she seemed to feel better. With one day to go, I sure hope I am right. 

Next up, Lalo will report on Harris's rally in Pennsylvania and a rabbit that does not behave well may be there as well...