PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Thousands of Maryland voters stood in lines at Prince George's County Community College for hours, weathering the heat for a chance to hear from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday.
Supporters looked on as the pair’s helicopters touched down on the campus. Yet hundreds had to be turned away from the event due to capacity issues.
While some left disappointed, others said they felt encouraged by the large turnout.
“It’s hot out here, people gave up their work day, but I think it’s a good sign of the turnout and support,” said Janelle Copeland, who recently moved to DC.
Copeland’s “line buddy,” John Wood, echoed her optimism.
“So many people were willing to be here that they had to turn people away, I think that’s a really good sign,” Wood said.
Inside the venue, enthusiasm was high as Maryland leaders, such as Governor Wes Moore, welcomed Harris and Biden to the main stage. As the pair thanked the attendees, they also restated their support for US Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks.
“I’m telling you, Maryland, you’re gonna do a great thing when you send her to the United States Senate!” Harris told the crowd.
Biden and Harris spoke about their work to lower prices for ten of Medicare’s most expensive drugs. Officials say this will have a huge impact for older Americans managing diabetes, blood cancers, and preventing heart failure.
“We finally addressed the longstanding issue that for years, was one of the biggest challenges of this subject, that Medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating lower drug prices,” Harris said. “Those costs got passed on to our seniors. But not anymore!”
The drugs include the blood thinners Xarelto and Eliquis and diabetes drugs Jardiance and Januvia. Medicare spent $50 billion covering the drugs last year. The administration shared no information as to how they arrived at the figures, and while details are still limited, White House officials say they expect taxpayers to save $6 billion under the new prices.
“Medicare represents more than 65 million people, and so Medicare has collective bargaining power,” Harris explained. “Now Medicare can use that bargaining power to go toe-to-toe with Big Pharma and negotiate lower drug prices.”
Those who couldn’t make it inside still said they plan to support Harris in November. After the event, many attendees said they left feeling energized and encouraged.
However, while attendees appreciate the work that’s been done, they hope there’s more to come on other issues.
“We’ve reached historic heights in American debt, and so how do we plan to resolve that and help people live day-to-day?” Wood asks.
“Education and funding. I think teachers everywhere are grossly underpaid, and I think the more we invest in the future of education, we’d have a more educated populace, especially about how government works,” said Wanda Widline of Southeast DC.
“I think [Harris] should focus on the economy” said Silver Spring resident Natasha Sakolsky. “We’ve seen a real shift in non-college educated White voters to Harris, and I think to really reach them in the battleground states, particularly with [Tim] Walz at her side, she needs to keep focusing on the economy.”