MADISON, Wis. — Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally on Sept. 20 in the Democratic stronghold of Madison continues a long tradition of that party’s candidates for president drawing huge crowds in the capital city of the swing state.

Before the rally, some voters said they’re eager to hear more about where she stands on issues.

“I’d like to hear more details,” said Rabindra Upreti, 51, of Madison. He said he especially wanted to hear her talk more about her plans for the economy, especially how she will bring down housing costs.

“I don’t know how she’s going to cover that,” Upreti said. “I want her to break down more details.”

Brittany Thompson, 34, of Madison, also wants more information about her plans for affordable housing.

“Her story is compelling, but I would like to hear more,” Thompson said.

Harris and her lived in Wisconsin when she was growing up, and her parents worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She told the crowd of thousands she has Wisconsin “cred” and on a recent visit went by the house where her family lived.

“Every time I land the governor says ‘welcome home,'” Harris said.

Harris shared the story of Amber Thurman, a Georgia mother who decided to have an abortion when she became pregnant again. However, Thurman waited more than 20 hours at the hospital for a routine medical procedure known as a D&C to clear out remaining tissue after taking abortion pills. She developed sepsis and died.

The vice president has been outspoken on abortion rights ever since the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and led to laws being implemented that limits access to the procedure. Georgia’s six-week ban allows abortions in early pregnancy to save a mother’s life, but critics say the law has created dangerous confusion for doctors about when they’re allowed to provide care.

Harris called the bans put in place in more than 20 states “immoral” and warned against another term for Republican candidate former President Donald Trump.

This Harris rally attracted a capacity crowd of about 10,000 people at a stadium where Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders drew a similar size in July 2015, which was the largest Sanders rally up to that point.

The largest political rally in Madison the past 20 years occurred In October 2004 when Democratic nominee John Kerry and singer Bruce Springsteen attracted about 80,000 people on a street leading to the Wisconsin State Capitol. Four years later in 2008, candidate Barack Obama filled an arena on the UW-Madison campus with about 19,000 people in attendance.

Obama was back with Springsteen in 2012 for a rally outside the Wisconsin State Capitol that drew an estimated 18,000 people.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee in 2016, famously did not campaign in Wisconsin after her primary win. She narrowly lost the state to Republican Donald Trump that year and many Democrats blamed that on her not campaigning in the state.

There were no large rallies during the 2020 campaign because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Harris stop on Sept. 20 was her fourth to Wisconsin as the nominee and first to Madison. Trump has been to Wisconsin for five rallies in 2024 and during the Republican National Convention, which was held in Milwaukee.

While Madison is a Democratic stronghold, the race statewide in Wisconsin is expected to be tight.