Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Thursday urged state Democrats to mobilize for the November election, saying the path to the presidency "runs straight through Minnesota."

"Please keep putting all of your energy into this race," Harris said in a video address delivered at a Minnesota DFL Party fundraising event. "Because we know what's at stake and we know we don't have a moment to waste."

Harris' remarks, which were pretaped, come as both sides intensify their efforts to lock in voters in the potential battleground state. While Minnesota voters have picked the Democratic nominee in every election since 1972, President Donald Trump has set his sights on winning the state, and its 10 electoral votes, after a narrow 2016 loss.

A number of public opinion surveys, including a recent Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, have show Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading the Republican president in recent weeks. On Thursday, Harris pledged to work to push Minnesota over the finish line for the DFL.

"Joe and I are doing everything we can to build on the momentum that all of you have built in this state," she said.

Minnesota has seen a flurry of activity from both campaigns this week, with early voting underway and just over a month to go until Election Day on Nov. 3. Trump again vowed to flip the state at a rally in Duluth on Wednesday evening, and former second lady Jill Biden will make her second in-person visit to the state this weekend. Earlier Thursday, Eric Trump addressed supporters gathered at a trucking company in the central Minnesota city of Becker.

"We lost the state by 1% in 2016," he told a crowd of several hundred Trump fans. "And we're going to win it this time."

Harris' remarks were part of the DFL Party's annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner fundraising event. The gathering, like many Democratic campaign events, was held virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of solely collecting checks for dinner tickets and sponsorships, party leaders solicited donations via livestream and social media posts throughout the program. At times, the online broadcast mirrored a telethon or pledge drive, with DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin thanking contributors in real time as a meter showing donation levels appeared on the screen.

"We have 33 days left and we don't have time to let up now," he said as he called on the audience to help the party reach a fundraising goal.

Harris' Thursday speech, which clocked in at about five minutes, marked the California Democrat's second virtual event for Minnesota voters since Biden picked her as his running mate in August. She previously gave introductory remarks at a roundtable discussion hosted online. She has yet to visit Minnesota in person on behalf of the presidential campaign.

Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.

Torey Van Oot • 651-925-5049