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Politics Aug 13, 2024
Governor Tim Walz speaking at a campaign rally for Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. | Photo by Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0
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In a significant week of campaign events, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, embarked on a solo tour to engage directly with voters and secure campaign funds. His schedule included stops in five states, starting with a keynote address at the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) convention in Los Angeles on Tuesday. This union, which boasts a membership of 1.4 million, has endorsed Harris.
On Monday, AFSCME President Lee Saunders emphasized the importance of unity in his address, stating, “With all the anxiety and uncertainty in the country, we have a responsibility to bring people together around common values.” He criticized the Republican agenda, saying “Instead, antiworker forces have decided to double down on the most extreme, divisive agenda you can imagine.”
In his address, Walz, a former union member, said “The only thing those two guys know about working people is how to work to take advantage of them.”
Walz also cautioned that the future for unions would be bleak if Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance are elected, portraying a country where bargaining rights, overtime pay, and other protections would be dismantled. He claimed that Trump and Vance have “waged war on working people.”
Following his union address, Walz moved to Newport Beach for a campaign fundraiser. His itinerary also included fundraisers in Denver and Boston on Wednesday, and Newport, Rhode Island, and Southampton, New York on Thursday. This fundraising blitz comes on the heels of a series of rallies with Harris in key battleground states last week, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada.
On the Republican side, Ohio Senator JD Vance’s campaign events, often mirroring the locations of Harris and Walz’s visits, have focused on portraying the Democratic ticket as too liberal for mainstream America. Vance has also speculated that Harris chose Walz over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to avoid backlash from progressives over Shapiro’s support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. He framed this decision as influenced by what he termed the “Hamas wing” of the Democratic party.
Vance has been vocal about his criticism of Walz’s military record, accusing him of implying combat experience he did not have. This issue was further fueled by comments from Orange County Republican Party Chairman Fred Whitaker, who accused Walz of having an “empty and fake record.” The Harris campaign responded over the weekend, clarifying that Walz had “misspoke” when he referenced “weapons of war that I carried in war.”
While Walz has not done media interviews, he did hold an off-the-record session with reporters last week. In contrast, Vance has spoken to various podcasts in hopes of appealing to a younger demographic.
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