The Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center was the place to be Friday afternoon, when former President Barack Obama was joined by an all-star lineup of speakers and about 7,000 of his biggest fans.

People started lining up before 10:30 a.m. to make sure they made it inside, filling up the floor of the center until there was hardly any turf in sight. Pop music and classic R&B tunes played overhead, as attendees danced and chatted with other members of the crowd, waiting for the rally to begin.

Elma Alvarez, an elementary school teacher and enthusiastic supporter, expressed her excitement about Obama’s appearance. 

“He is such an influential figure in the Democratic party, he just lights up a room. He’s so uniting and so motivational,” she said. 

Alvarez said she feels the most pressing issues this election are women’s rights, immigrant rights, healthcare and creating a sense of unity in the country.

“No more dividing it,” she said. “No more having racism be okay, because that’s what I think the other candidate has been known for.” 

Healthcare, in particular, remained a major concern for many in attendance. William Coleman talked about its importance to marginalized communities. 

“As an LGBTQ Black man and with stuff that’s happening in the gay community, like HIV, I would love to ensure that my community is still being protected and still having access to healthcare,” he said. 

Coleman also expressed enthusiasm for policies aimed at supporting first-time home buyers. 

“I love the $25,000 for first-time home buyers,” he said. “I hope to buy a house one day, especially with how expensive the market is right now, and I think it’s pretty awesome how Kamala wants to do that.”

Shortly after 3 p.m., Verlon Jose, Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, took the stage to welcome the crowd and kick off the event. He was followed by Mayor Regina Romero, who spoke about Obama’s last visit to Tucson, in the aftermath of the January 8, 2011 shooting that left six people dead and another 12 injured. She told the crowd that Obama knows how to be a leader and serve.

“He understands what it means to unify people and help them heal,” she said. “That is real leadership.”

Romero said that Kamala Harris will be a president for all Americans and was met with loud “boos” when she mentioned former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, JD Vance.

“President Obama is here to encourage us to do all we can to elect Vice President Harris as our next President of the United States of America,” she said “Fuera con Trump!”

The crowd responded to the phrase – which translates to “Out with Trump” – with thundering cheers.

A short time later, after a performance by two local singers, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly and former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords walked hand-in-hand onto the stage to loud chants of “Gabby! Gabby!”

Kelly talked about Obama’s last visit 13 years ago, when he told the world that Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time. He shared a fist-bump with his wife, prompting the crowd to cheer even louder.

“I was born in the great state of Arizona. I grew up racing motorcycles, mucking stalls and exploring the beautiful deserts. I fell for an astronaut,” Giffords said. “For five years, I served in Congress from a swing state. Everybody called me a rising star.”

She recalled the assassination attempt that ended her political career and the lives of several others, saying she fought for her life and survived.

“I learned to walk again one step at a time. I learned to speak again one word at a time,” she said, referencing a “decent man from Delaware” who frequently checked in on her progress. “Joe (Biden) is a great president. My friend Kamala will be a great president,” she said. “She’s tough. She has grit. She will save lives.”

Among those moved by her words was Lauren Spradlin, a Tucson native visiting from North Carolina. 

“I had a profound sense of wanting to return to Tucson,” she said. “I grew up here. My sister was an intern for Gabby the day she was shot and I was here. I have so much hope for what this place can be and how we can be a model for the rest of the country.”

Kelly encouraged attendees to vote early and sign up to volunteer.

“If we do that and work hard over the next 18 days, we can turn the page and move this country forward,” he said.

Catherine Printz has been an Obama fan her whole life and wants to get out the vote for Kamala Harris. 

After Friday’s event, she said,  she felt, “incredibly inspired, I have my mail-in ballot ready to go and I’m signing up to volunteer.

"It was very inspiring and President Obama is one of the best individuals humanly possible to give a speech," she said.

Gov. Katie Hobbs made a rare campaign appearance, telling the crowd that “everything we care about is at risk.”

U.S. Rep. and Senate candidate Ruben Gallego was the final warm-up speaker, telling attendees that “juntos unidos” (united together) voters can move towards a better life together.

“In the Marines, we always said, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail,” he said, urging the crowd to make a plan to vote.

He welcomed Obama to the stage over roars from the crowd, with the former president opening his remarks with comments about homecoming weekend. He joked about seeing the Colorado buses as he arrived on campus, moving quickly into a message about the importance of voting early.

“Si, se puede,” he said, responding to an attendee who yelled the United Farm Workers of America’s “Yes, we can” motto. “ Just remember to bring your voter ID.”

Obama said that he understood why people have become frustrated with politics, but said he can’t understand why anyone would think that Trump would “shape things up in a way that’s good for you.”

“There’s absolutely no evidence that this man thinks of anybody but himself,” he said and was greeted by loud “boos” from the crowd. “Do not boo. Vote. They can’t hear you when you boo, but when you vote, everybody can hear you.”

Obama referenced Trump’s odd behavior at recent town halls, including a statement to an all-female audience that he’s the “father of IVF,” a fertility treatment that’s come under threat following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“I do not know what that means. You do not either,” he said, warning attendees that America does not need to see what an older, loonier version of Trump looks like. “Kamala Harris is ready to do the job. If you elect Kamala and Tim, they'll be focused on your problems. Concrete plans. That’s who Kamala is.”

Calissa Alexander, who was too young to fully grasp the impact of Obama’s presidency, shared how her mother and others would often talk about his impact. 

“I was very young when he was president, but my mom and everyone would always talk about how amazing he was and how he covered everybody.” She added, “He put into action a healthcare plan and he was somebody that was really looking out for people. For him to endorse Kamala, it makes me feel like Kamala is really going to look out for us.” 

Obama talked about Trump’s “concept of a plan” for addressing healthcare, immigration issues, reproductive rights and more, calling it a “mean and ugly concept,” as the crowd responded with changes of “Vote! Vote! Vote!”

“We’re the kind of people who understand that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom to make other choices,” he said. “And tat doesn't make them bad people, and that doesn't make them enemies of the state.”

He was met with applause when he talked about former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John McCain, who he said understood that some values transcend political parties.

He said  the current Republican rhetoric seems to have set aside the values McCain stood for, urging the crowd to think about the values that they were taught.

“Real strength is about standing up for one another. Do not sit back and hope for the best. Get off your couch and vote. Put down your phone and vote,” he said. “If enough of us make our voices heard, we will leave no doubt about the outcome of this election. No doubt about who we are, and what America stands for. We will build a country that is more fair, more just, more equal and more free.”

Spotlight staffers Caitlin Schmidt, Isabela Gamez, Angelina Maynes and Samantha Callicutt all contributed to this story.