Vice President Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), slammed Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) at a campaign event near the senator’s hometown Saturday, saying that former President Trump’s running mate does not reflect the “integrity” of the people in the state.
“He is not a reflection on the integrity of the people of Ohio,” Walz said at an event on behalf of the Harris Victory Fund, according to NewsNation’s Jackie Koppell. Walz condemned the senator for saying he would not have certified the 2020 presidential election and for refusing to answer whether Trump lost that race during their vice presidential debate last week.
Walz also hit Trump and Vance for amplifying false claims they made about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating residents’ pets.
“So now, in the midst of a chaotic world and in the final days of a consequential presidential election, Donald Trump stood on that debate stage and said, ’They are eating dogs. They are eating cats,’” Walz said, per Koppell.
“I understand where I’m standing in Ohio, that kind of stuff would be funny if it wasn’t so damn dangerous,” he added.
City officials in Springfield have since called these claims “baseless.”
Trump currently leads Harris in Ohio, 51.9 percent support to 45 percent, according to polling from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.
Trump returned to Butler, Pa., for a rally on Saturday, his first appearance in the town since the July assassination attempt against him. He was joined by tech billionaire Elon Musk and family members of Corey Comperatore, who was killed at the July rally by the shooter.
Pennsylvania is a competitive state for the two nominees, with Harris narrowly leading Trump by less than 1 percentage point, according to polling from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.
The Hill has reached out to Vance’s campaign for comment.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.