There were so many lines outside Norristown Area High School Saturday night that it was hard to tell which direction they were going. Thousands were hoping to see former first lady Michelle Obama and musician Alicia Keys, surrogates for Vice President Kamala Harris, who made the trip to Montgomery County just three days before the presidential election.

Thousands were turned away due to fire safety capacity limitations.

Montgomery County, where Gov. Josh Shapiro got his political start, is a Democratic stronghold, and voter turnout in the powerful Philadelphia suburbs can seriously affect who wins the presidential race in Pennsylvania, and therefore the entire race.

“You know I love you because I don’t like politics and I’m here again,” Obama told an overflow crowd that filled the school auditorium as much as the fire chief would allow. “But this race is important, and what happens in this county and in this state is absolutely important. That’s why we’re here.”

“You are so powerful and so important; actually, they are the most important,” Keys told Pennsylvania voters, one of them visibly dazzled and with his mouth open.

The famous guests then moved on to the main stage, in a gymnasium filled with almost 4,000 people.

Keys emphasized the importance of voting for and against, using the fight for women’s suffrage as an example of the power of Congress. Shapiro told the crowd that Pennsylvanians can decide not only who will be the next president, but also what values ​​the country holds.

“Actually, it may be the only thing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump agree on,” Shapiro told the energetic crowd. “Whoever wins Pennsylvania will probably be the next president of the United States.”

Obama gave a 30-minute speech in which she described Trump – or as she and Keys called him, “Kamala’s opponent” – as the embodiment of a hatred that has existed in the country for years but has become more insidious. , cunning and grandiloquent. He said that if his platform resonates with enough people it is part of the “great experiment we call democracy.”

Bonita Patterson, 69, a Philadelphia teacher from Drexel Hill who attended the rally, said that while she supports Harris, she would vote for any decent person running against Trump, even a Republican, and has voted Democratic her entire life. life.

“I feel like I opened a bandage that had a lot of pus underneath,” he said. “And that’s why everyone now feels free to say and do whatever they want, and racism seems to be what goes up instead of what goes down.”

Another attendee, Sonya Harris, 53, a Norristown sales manager whose son attends high school, said she conducted telephone inquiries, surveys and attended several rallies for the first time this year. She believes Montco voters will go to the polls and noted that she has noticed more campaign signs in the county than in previous years.

“We have to win,” he said. “There really is no alternative. “We just can’t go back to the chaos and confusion and everything that Donald Trump brings, we just can’t.”

In his remarks, Obama said Harris’ energy on the campaign trail is reminiscent of her own husband’s.

“Yes we can!” someone shouted in the crowd.

“We did it and we can do it again,” Obama responded.

He also urged attendees to take action down the stretch by having an uncomfortable conversation, knocking on doors or getting people to the polls.

“Friends, the process will continue with or without you,” he said. “Decisions will be made, judges will be appointed and laws will be passed.”

Biden won the election in Pennsylvania by fewer than 82,000 votes in 2020. Obama said that number breaks down to fewer than nine votes per district. He also pointed to a 2020 Iowa congressional race. which was won by six votes.

“Six people, that’s their group chat,” Obama said. “That’s your fantasy football league, or at least half of it. So think about it, maybe you and your friends can influence the entire presidential election. That is possible, that is the power.”

Obama said progress in the country is comparable to building a skyscraper, climbing a mountain or making a sandcastle: “much easier to destroy than to build.” He said that despite working every day to make incremental progress, one outcome can quickly and ruthlessly reverse course, whether it’s a hurricane, a virus that causes a pandemic or “a small man trying to feel big by pouring gasoline on genuine pain.” of other people.” and anger and fear.”

“You can spend a lifetime building something carefully and painstakingly, brick by brick, but all it takes is one big wave, one strong gust of wind, and all your efforts can disappear in an instant,” he said. “That’s what’s at stake in this election.”