PORTLAND, Ore. — Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to one of her strongest support bases Wednesday, telling a sold-out crowd of 2,700 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall to lean on community organizations as she promoted her new memoir on the one-year anniversary of her presidential election loss.

“Let’s get our mojo back if we lost it at all,” Harris told the enthusiastic Portland audience during the Literary Arts-hosted event, part of her 15-city tour for “107 Days,” her account of the 2024 presidential campaign.

Exactly one year earlier, Harris lost the presidential election to now-President Donald Trump. But Wednesday’s event came one day after Democrats swept various races in the 2025 elections, which Harris referenced as “the light that we need to shine on darkness.”

Multnomah County voters backed the Harris-Walz ticket at 79.3%, with 55.6% of Oregonians supporting the Democratic ticket, according to the Associated Press.

Outside the venue, pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated in opposition to Harris’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war, chanting phrases including “Kamala is not welcome here.”

Inside, many Portlanders expressed support.

“I’m super proud that our city gets the opportunity to hear from Kamala today,” said Domonique Debnam, a Northeast Portland native. “I think that she can bring some hope to people like myself as a black woman who watching her go through that, it was very heartbreaking how it ended.”

The event drew diverse attendees, including members of Prose Before Bros, a Portland-based book club for women of color founded in 2018.

“She’s really inspirational to Black people and Black women especially,” said Charlene Namuyige, who attended with book club friends Micah Ingram and Shannon Crowner Jones.

For Ingram, Harris’s mixed heritage holds personal significance.

“Kamala represents both sides of me. I’m Black and Indian,” Ingram said. “The representation was really cool to me.”

Harris is of Indian descent on her mother’s side and Jamaican descent on her father’s side. Trump has repeatedly and falsely suggested she only recently began identifying as Black for political gain.

Crowner Jones, who moved to Portland from Maryland, said: “I am proud to be a Black woman. Black women are really on the right side of history, and we just really still believe in you.”

High school students from Portland and communities including Woodburn, received opportunities to attend through local youth programs such as SEI and Word is Bond.

Elizabeth Larrison and Zahra Fareqi, students at Portland’s Benson Polytechnic High School also involved in its Radio KBPS program, received free tickets through their teacher’s outreach to Literary Arts.

“I really like getting to see women who are in these positions of power, especially in more male-dominated industries like politics,” Larrison said.

Fareqi, who serves as president of her school’s activism club and edits the school newspaper, said: “As a woman of color myself, I really want to hear how she’s been dealing with the current environment and see what our next steps are.”

The conversation, moderated by Rukaiyah Adams — a Stanford Law graduate who chairs the Albina Vision Trust as well as 1803 Fund — touched on Harris’s abbreviated campaign, misinformation and the current political climate.

Harris recounted writing the book at her kitchen table at her California home. Her best friend Chrisette, referenced in the memoir, attended and greeted the audience.

When Adams asked what more time beyond 107 days would have meant for her campaign, Harris acknowledged the constraints.

“More time gives more opportunity for reflection,” Harris said. “107 days meant limited resources to connect with people. We had to put the limited resources in the battleground states.”

Harris pivoted to recent Democratic victories with a joke that drew roars: “What about last night?”

She addressed Portland-specific concerns, including potential National Guard deployment.

“The pressure that Portland is under has forced us to trust each other,” Harris said. “Congratulations to the people of Portland. The leaders of every sector, either in elected office or not, the courts, for achieving a victory on constitutional values.”

Harris repeatedly emphasized community support, particularly for nonprofit organizations.

“Our nonprofit and community organizations really need support,” she said. “The people that work to support immigrants, LGBTQ, alongside many various communities. There’s so much need right now, including the need for a sense of community.”

She criticized the Trump administration’s priorities, contrasting paused SNAP benefits with building “a ballroom for his rich friends.” Trump has faced criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for a privately funded, 90,000-square-foot ballroom estimated to cost $300 million.

“Part of the agenda is to make people feel alone, to fight the fight alone,” she said.

When a baby’s cries interrupted her remarks, Harris embraced the moment.

“We are all here for that baby, and we are so glad that baby is here,” Harris said. “This is also where we see our power. If you want to see your power, just help somebody out.”

Harris addressed heightened mistrust in American society.

“We are at a heightened level of mistrust among American people,” she said. “It’s not just can I leave my front door unlocked, but are you a threat to my existence.”

She urged audiences to evaluate information critically, asking: “Is it accurate? Is it truthful? Is it based on facts?”

In her closing message, Harris returned to themes of leadership and optimism.

“The strength of a leader is to build people up, not strike people down,” she said. “Let’s not lose our optimism about our fight.”

She invoked her signature phrase from her 2024 campaign rallies: “When we fight, we win.” She added: “Sometimes the fight takes a while.”

Adams was selected by Harris’s team to moderate. She formerly served as chief investment officer at Meyer Memorial Trust and serves on the Oregon Public Broadcasting board.

The event was organized by Literary Arts in partnership with Harris’s team and her publisher, Simon and Schuster.

Harris announced in late July that she will not run for California governor. She has not ruled out another presidential bid following unsuccessful campaigns in 2020 and 2024.