Kamala Harris held a campaign event on the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.

Four years ago, a Washington park became the epicenter of one of the most notorious moments in US political history. However, on Tuesday, it was filled with enthusiastic Kamala Harris supporters waving 'FREEDOM' signs. Harris's final appeal to voters took place at the same location where Donald Trump delivered a fiery speech on January 6, 2021, inciting his supporters to riot at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn President Joe Biden's election victory. Despite the clear, cool October evening, Harris voter Juanita Russell clapped and danced after the vice president's speech, which her campaign claimed drew a crowd of 75,000, hoping that the past is now behind them.

"(The rally) had to be here. We had to reclaim this space," Russell said about the deeply symbolic site, as Trump is just one election away from potentially returning to the White House. "This is sending a message. Never again," said the 58-year-old Washington local.

The intense emotions of the divisive and lengthy election campaign, now just days away from its November 5 climax, were palpable for many at the so-called Ellipse, which is visible from the White House. Sue and Daniel Settle drove 14 hours from midwestern Illinois because they were driven to distraction by TV coverage and social media updates on the election. "We had to do something," said Daniel, 68.

The events of January 6 were still fresh in their minds, especially since Trump had been impeached but acquitted for his role in the insurrection. The outbreak of violence forced them to break their household rule of no TV or computers on Wednesdays. Instead, they spent the day watching in horror. "I think having this rally in this place is important because she's going to preserve our democracy and not destroy it, like he tried to," said 67-year-old Sue Settle.

Elsewhere in the line that would eventually stretch over two miles (three kilometers) and force Harris fans to wait for three hours, Craig Bauer fought back tears prompted by the fallout of January 6. "It says that you're not going to make this a bad place," the 54-year-old from Virginia added about the choice of rally site. "You're not going to take this from the American people."

Tensions are escalating in the too-close-to-call race, fueled by fears that Trump could again refuse to recognize a defeat, as he did in 2020. He could, of course, also simply win. "My worst fear is that Trump wins," said 42-year-old rally attendee Sam Kitchen, who noted he feels "incredibly nervous" about the outcome of an election that opinion polls suggest is effectively tied. He went on to say that "hopefully we can put that history behind us." "The best outcome is Harris wins and it sticks and there's no violence," he added.

Syaira Liverpool, 21, a student at Washington's historically Black Howard University, was excited about the rally's location after casting her first ballot in a presidential election for Harris. "It's a statement. I really hope people see it that way," she added, noting the stress of the election is building as the day gets closer. "I'm getting very nervous. I'm not gonna lie," she said. "But I really do have faith in her."

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