Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) made his debut on Tuesday as Vice President Harris’s running mate during a raucous rally in Philadelphia, where he took on former President Trump and sought to sustain the enthusiasm Democrats have built over the past two weeks.
Harris and Walz spoke in front of a crowd of roughly 10,000 people, the largest audience this cycle for either Harris or President Biden when he was a candidate.
“That’s what this election is about. What direction will this country go in? Donald Trump would damn sure take us backwards, let’s be clear about that,” Walz said.
The governor used the rally to introduce himself to the country, recounting his childhood working on a family farm in Nebraska, his military service, his work as a teacher and his time in Congress.
But he also appeared to relish the role of taking on Trump.
“Make no mistake. Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. And that’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” Walz said, a swipe at the former president’s 34 felony convictions and other charges.
“You know it, you feel it. These guys are creepy, and yes, just weird as hell,” Walz said of his political rivals, recycling the line of attack that helped catapult him into the national spotlight.
He argued Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), were out for themselves, not for the public. And he told the crowd he couldn’t wait to debate his counterpart.
“That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” Walz said, a tongue-in-cheek reference to a fabricated claim about Vance.
Rallygoers wore light-up red, white and blue wristbands and roared with approval as the two took the stage, forcing Harris to wait several minutes to begin her remarks.
In introducing Walz, Harris cited his biography and work in politics to argue they were a pair that could have mass appeal to voters across the country.
She cited his work as a teacher and as an adviser to the high school’s gay-straight alliance. She noted his support for the Affordable Care Act in Congress and his reputation as one of Capitol Hill’s “best marksmen” during his time as a congressman.
“My promise to you is this: Our campaign will reach out to everyone. From red states to blue states. From the heartland to the coasts,” Harris said.
“We are running a campaign on behalf of all Americans,” she said. “And if elected, we will govern on behalf of all Americans.”
The vice president gave her usual stump speech, stressing that she is the underdog in the race, highlighting her record as a prosecutor and telling the crowd, “I know Donald Trump’s type.” She outlined her policy priorities, including affordable health care, paid leave, lowering the cost of living and protecting abortion access.
Harris earlier Tuesday announced she had chosen Walz as her running mate after a whirlwind two-week vetting process. Harris interviewed Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for the position.
Trump and his campaign have painted Walz as a radical liberal, just as they have with Harris, citing his record as Minnesota’s governor signing legislation to provide gender-affirming care in the state and to give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. They have also seized on his handling of the 2020 protests in the state after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
A third criticism of the ticket mentions Shapiro. Republicans have criticized Harris for not picking the Pennsylvania governor, who came under criticism for remarks he’d made about pro-Palestinian supporters.
Walz does not bring a swing stay into play, unlike Shapiro with Pennsylvania and Kelly with Arizona. But the vice president’s campaign in making the choice telegraphed its belief that the straight-talking governor can help it in the key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
The vice president ultimately opted for Walz, largely because of the chemistry the two were able to develop in a short time, but also because of his background and policy record. Walz was born in Nebraska, served in the military and worked as a high school teacher before serving in Congress. And as governor he signed legislation intended to protect abortion access, curb gun violence and enshrine voting rights.
“When you compare his resume … to Trump’s running mate, well, some might say it’s like a match-up between the varsity team and the JV squad,” Harris said, grinning at the crowd.
The choice appeared to excite Democrats who have been riding high for the past two weeks since Biden stepped aside and Harris emerged as the party’s new nominee.
The Harris campaign said it brought in more than $20 million in grassroots donations in the roughly six hours after Walz was announced as the running mate, making it one of the campaign’s best fundraising days of the cycle.
Harris and Walz are expected to campaign Wednesday in Wisconsin and Michigan and travel together later in the week to Arizona and Nevada.
Updated at 7:58 p.m.