Kamala Harris, alongside her vice-presidential candidate, governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, carried on with their tour of the swing states, rallying in Wisconsin’s countryside and Detroit, Michigan on a Wednesday. The rallies reportedly attracted over 10,000 supporters at each location.
These rallies, following a boisterous Philadelphia event, permitted Ms Harris to further present Mr Walz, a governor from the midwest who had previously maintained a low profile, to Democrats in these paramount swing states.
In Eau Claire, situated in northwestern Wisconsin and less than two hours away from both Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota, the rally gathered an audience from both states. The total number of attendees exceeded 12,000, according to the campaign.
The Wednesday night rally in Detroit rallied 15,000 supporters in another essential swing state, as per the information shared with reporters by the Harris campaign. Mr Walz deemed it as the “most massive rally of the campaign” to date.
The Detroit audience often repeated the chant, “We’re not going back,” serving as the Democrat’s rebuttal to Trump’s anti-abortion stance and his “Make America Great Again” catchphrase.
Attendees conveyed their excitement regarding a Harris-Walz ticket. Lori Schlecht, a teacher from Minnesota, expressed her enthusiasm for Mr Walz, who was a public school teacher before his 2006 election into the House of Representatives, stating, “I’m thrilled. He is genuine and will succeed.”
Several Minnesota attendees lauded Mr Walz’s down-to-earth demeanour as advantageous for the Democratic Party ticket. “Walz is my choice,” Colin Mgam announced, a retired 65-year-old who attended the rally, driving in from St Paul. “He is straightforward and will prosper.”
Following the endorsement of Mr Walz by Midwestern Democrats, the Harris campaign announced on Wednesday that they had secured a staggering £26 million (€32 million) in donations within the first 24 hours of revealing him as the Vice Presidential pick.
However, the rallies weren’t entirely smooth-sailing, with a brief interruption during Harris’s speech in Detroit by protesters advocating for Palestine. The protesters disrupted the speech by chanting provocatively about genocides linked with her name, to which Harris calmly responded that while everyone’s voices matter in a democracy, it was her turn to speak. Responding to ongoing shouts, she finally remarked that anyone wanting Donald Trump to win should voice out, otherwise she should be allowed to speak. This triggered extensive cheers from the audience.
The Eau Claire rally spotlighted Harris’s focus on the swing state of Wisconsin, where she held her first rally post the announcement of Joe Biden’s withdrawal from race. Trump clinched the Wisconsin victory by approximately 20,000 votes in 2016 and Biden replicated the feat with a similar margin in 2020.
The Wednesday event was opened by indie folk group – Bon Iver, who’s lead vocalist hails from Eau Claire and previously supported Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Walz’s connection to the Midwest was evident, as he spoke to the crowd that included family members, aligning his background to his commitment to the people. Elaborating his football coaching, social studies teaching and Minnesota national guard service, he endeared himself to the rural and working-class Americans symbolizing a fitting ambassador for the Democratic Party.
He didn’t shy away from attacking Trump directly. He challenged Trump’s ignorance by stating he knew exactly the consequences of Project 2025, which would limit freedoms and favour the super rich with a potential return to the White House causing conditions to become much worse than four years prior.
Walz also readdressed his personal experience and support for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). The treatment is seen as controversial within the Republican ranks following a verdict by an Alabama court that granted ‘personhood’ to frozen embryos.
During a rally in Michigan, Ms Harris once again launched an attack on Donald Trump, drawing on her past as a prosecutor. The rising chorus of her followers crying, “Lock him up!” didn’t deter her as she discussed Trump’s recent legal woes. However, she stated that it was up to the courts to deal with his sentence, promising to defeat him in the upcoming November elections.
Elsewhere, Mr Walz, despite not being seen as an early potential running mate for Harris, turned heads within the party after delivering an honest yet positive interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. During the interview, he praised Ms Harris and dismissed Trump’s right-hand man, JD Vance, labelling him as “weird.”
Standing firm against Trump’s consistent efforts to categorise him as a component of the “extreme left”, Mr Walz is well-known for his work with liberal legislators in Minnesota. His collaborations have resulted in the passage of a variety of progressive laws, cementing abortion rights, expanding worker protections, and putting strong voting rights legislation in place.
During a recent stop in Wisconsin, Mr Walz put up a stout defence, countering Trump. He said, “This election poses a pivotal question: in which direction will our country move? Donald Trump has a clear vision – to regress. But that’s not where we’re going.”