Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held one of their first campaign events as running mates in the Detroit area Wednesday evening during a campaign tour across key battleground states. The tour will hit swing states nationwide, with stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. Harris and Walz visited Eau Claire, Wis., Wednesday afternoon and rallied with more than 12,000 supporters.
As the Democratic ticket touched down in Detroit, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Republican vice presidential nominee, also visited swing states, including a rally in Shelby Township, Michigan on Wednesday.
Despite the heat, the estimated 15,000-person crowd gathered at a Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport hangar. The event saw Michigan lawmakers, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Debbie Dingell.
Whitmer, who was considered to be one of Harris’s potential vice presidential picks, received a robust welcome from the crowd as she entered the stage. Whitmer spoke on the Democratic presumptive nominees’ ability to lead the country.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will fight to help you not just get by, but to get ahead,” Whitmer said. “Every American deserves a path to prosperity.”
Walz, considered a strategic vice presidential pick because of his Midwestern, progressive background, entered the stage to a cheering crowd and “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen. Walz said his experience as governor of Minnesota has prepared him to solve similar problems nationwide.
“I learned how to work across the aisle to get good things done for people,” Walz said. “Now as governor of Minnesota, I bring those experiences together so we can tackle some of those hard problems: inequities, climate change, all of the things that we care about and are shared values in this room.”
Danielle Tucker, a rally attendee, spoke with The Michigan Daily at the event and said she felt Walz was a beneficial choice for the Democratic ticket.
“I didn’t know much about Walz when she first announced him,” Tucker said. “But I know (Harris) chose the best (candidate) for the job and from what I have researched about him, he seems like a great guy.”
One theme repeated throughout the rally was how different the two presidential candidates were for this election. Following Walz, Harris took to the stage to speak about these differences and asked supporters what kind of country they wanted to live in.
“(This campaign) is about two very different visions for the future of our nation–one, ours, focused on the future and the other focused on the past,” Harris said. “And Michigan, we (are) here to fight for the future…We each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? . . . The beauty of democracy: we each have the power to answer that question.” ”
About four individuals from Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a University of Michigan pro-Palestinian organization, interrupted Harris during her remarks, declaring their opposition to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Harris offered a sharp reply to the protestors.
“You know what?” Harris said. “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I am speaking.”
Slotkin, who won the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan Tuesday, joined the stage and encouraged Michiganders to vote in the November election.
“The Midwest has been on display,” Slotkin said. “People are here. Everyone is here because they know how important we are in this election, to keep the White House, to flip the (U.S.) House and to keep the U.S. Senate.”
A large presence of United Auto Workers members and supporters dressed in bright red shirts was present in the crowd. Harris and Walz have been emphasizing their support for the working class during their appearances this week. After President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign last month and endorsed Harris, labor leaders quickly showed their support for her, including endorsements from the AFL-CIO and the UAW.
At the rally, UAW President Shawn Fain said he feels Harris exudes leadership qualities needed of a president, noting his full endorsement of the Democratic ticket.
“Like all great leaders, Kamala Harris knows it is not all about her,” Fain said. “It is about the quality of the people she surrounds herself with. (Harris) showed great leadership when she chose Tim Walz as her running mate.”
Harris addressed how she will prioritize the working and middle classes, saying its strength benefits all Americans.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working families first,” Harris said. “When the middle class is strong, America is strong.”
The possibility of Harris being the first female president brought many women to the rally. In an interview with The Daily, Leslie Wagner, a rally attendee, said she was excited about the possibility of a female president, and shared her experiences at similar political events.
“I want to see the first woman president of the United States,” Wagner said. “This is not my first time being at an event like this. I heard Geraldine Ferraro speak at Michigan State (University) and I heard Hillary Clinton speak when she was supporting her husband (President Bill Clinton).”
With less than three months until the November general election, Walz expressed his gratitude to Harris.
“I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket and help make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States,” Walz said.
Summer News Editor Emma Lapp can be reached at emmalapp@umich.edu.
The post ‘We fight for the future’: Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz hold Detroit rally during battleground state tour appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply