LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On the first day of early voting in the valley, former President Barack Obama led the battle cry in the battleground state of Nevada.
The former president rallied hundreds of supporters for Vice President Kamala Harris at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas Saturday night.
"I really want to see Obama. I really want to be where we want our people to be," said Renee Granby, who traveled all the way from Sacramento, California, to attend the rally.
"Just be here and show my support," said Tieesha Thomas, who is from Las Vegas.
Ahead of the rally, Channel 13 spoke with several voters about the issues that are important to them.
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"Rent increase for people and healthcare because I am healthcare," Granby said.
"Empowerment for women," Thomas said. "The right to choose, the right to make choices over my own body."
“Gun control, cannabis, and the economy," said E. Love, who is visiting from California.
"I think my rights as a woman. Right now, I have less rights than my mom did when she was my age. And that's scary," said Shelby Schafer, a first-time voter.
Schafer said she recently celebrated her 18th birthday and is excited to be participating in her very first election.
“I think it’s very important to vote, especially now. If we keep going down the road that we are going, it could go to a darker path and I don’t think we need to go there," Schafer said.
Several prominent Nevada politicians like Sen. Jacky Rosen and Reps. Susie Lee, Steven Horsford, and Dina Titus spoke ahead of the former president and encouraged people to get out and vote, but also took time to poke fun at former President Donald Trump.
"I've said it before and I will say it again: Donald Trump, is a 78-year-old billionaire that has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down the golden escalator nine years ago," said Barack Obama.
During the roughly 40 minutes that Obama spoke, he discussed several key issues for many voters such as the economy, abortion, and immigration.
"For a lot of folks, the price of healthcare to housing and groceries, it's still too high — it hurts," Obama said.
"I am having conversations with folks they're all like, 'I don't know, you know, I know Trump is kind of crazy, but I remember the economy when he first came into office, I remember those first two years were pretty good.' Yeah, it was good because it was my economy."
During his speech, he said that Harris is ready to take over the presidency.
"Kamala Harris doesn't have the concepts of a plan, she's got an actual plan to make your life better. She's got a plan to bring down the price of things like groceries. She'll go after corporations that are jacking up prices, just like she went after big banks and for-profit colleges when she was attorney general of California, to lower housing costs. Kamala will cut red tape and work with state and local governments as well as the private sector to build three million new homes. She has a concrete plan to do that. And then, she'll give first-time homebuyers up to $25,000 to help with the down payment," Obama said.
While some voters Channel 13 spoke with said they know how they would vote, there are others who said that having a high-profile voice like the former president could help reassure those on the edge.
“He has a huge influence on what people," said Schafer. "I think he’s just an amazing speaker. I think he really draws people in.”
Meantime, former President Trump held his own rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Trump is set to host another rally here in the valley at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 24.
