On a typical evening in San Francisco, neighborhood favorite Madrone Art Bar overflows with live music, people dancing, and lines flowing down Divisadero and Fell streets.
Last night however, San Franciscans crowded in the bar for a different reason. For the better part of two hours, bar-goers sat in a somewhat engaged silence listening to the words of two presidential hopefuls — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
As I arrived at Madrone’s to partake in one of the many watch parties happening around the city, I struggled to find a place to stand, yet alone to sit, because of how crowded the bar was. Some folks camped out before the debate, getting their drinks and bingo cards set up. Some brought their dogs, others their babies, to watch what the bar called on Instagram “The Most Important Fight in History.”
I came to see how these young San Franciscans felt about the election in general, certainly, but I more so wanted to see how they felt and reacted to Harris’s rhetoric, one which last night was aimed to a more moderate base.
What I found was a diverse political microcosm of the city, complete with undecided voters, die-hard Democrats and young voters who felt far from Harris’s moderate ideals —with everyone carrying anxiety, tension and stress.
When I finally found a seat, my neighbors Brian and Natalie Olsen, explained that they were not very politically engaged, but that they came because they loved this bar.
“When we saw the poster for the watch party, we had to come,” Brian Olsen said. “Being here makes it a little more fun than watching at home. A little less stressful.”
This debate was much more enjoyable compared to the last for the Olsens, since President Joe Biden dropped out. “We’re feeling better about the race now,” Natalie Olsen said. “[Harris] is a much stronger candidate.”
This sentiment was a shared one in the bar. Some wore Harris-Walz merch, and every time she made a clapback at Trump the bar erupted with cheers and applause.
“She gets better and better,” a supporter yelled during the first commercial break, which was met with cheers. Throughout the evening, there was a seemingly momentous amount of applause for her responses to Trump’s lies.
However, many in the crowd challenged Harris during the debate, especially regarding her moderate stance on fracking, the genocide of Palestinians, increased border patrol, and gun control.
When she said, “I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself,” some people shook their heads and scoffed while others turned their attention away from her to their companions or to order another drink. When Harris stated, “I will not ban fracking,” she was met with a number of extremely loud “boos” in the crowd.
I spoke after the debate with Izzy Young, a young San Franciscian who came to the bar wearing her American flag sweater. “I just feel really anxious,” Young said. “I work in climate, and so I really care about the climate…I really wish [Harris] was against fracking.”
While noting that Harris performed much better than Trump, Young found that “Harris avoided a lot of [climate] questions…I’m going to vote for Harris, but I wish she was more of an exciting candidate than she is, at least on the environmental issues.”
Not only did progressive voters challenge Harris in the bar, but so did some undecided right-leaning voters.
Drew Deidel is a huge Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supporter and came to the bar dressed in RFK Jr. merchandise. Now, with the fringe Republican candidate out of the race, Deidel is undecided — a major reason for his attending the watch party.
“It feels like the stakes are very high for this election, and I feel drawn to be part of the conversation and to kind of feel the crowd,” Deidel told me after the debate.
Deidel expressed concerns with the stances and performance of both candidates, in addition to the polarization they both bring. “Honestly, I’ve been stressed and worried about this,” he said. “But in a way, just seeing the crowd, I feel a little bit calmer. It’s just really a tense time…You can feel that people are stressed about this. I saw tears. I saw people who needed to leave. It’s really a lot of tension.”
What was clear to me last night, in midst of the tension, polarization and debate, is that young San Franscians respond when Harris says, “I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.” As I sat in the crowd, it seemed to me that in spite of the fact that she’s not the candidate many want, she is bringing in a new generation of leadership, one that many San Franciscans are responding to.
