Harris and Walz at a rally in Philadelphia Tuesday evening
PHILADELPHIA, Aug 7—Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her newly selected Vice Presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, campaigned for the first time together on Tuesday August 6 in Philadelphia, kicking off a multi-day tour of battleground states aimed at introducing Walz to the national stage.
In his remarks to a raucous crowd of more than 10,000 at Temple University, Walz described his upbringing in a small Nebraska town, his 24 years serving in the Army National Guard and his prior career as a high school social studies teacher and football coach.
“It was my students who encouraged me to run for office,” he said. “They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them: a commitment of common good, a belief that one person can make a difference.”
He also went after the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, an early demonstration of how Walz will approach the traditional “attack dog” role of the Vice Presidential candidate despite his affable, folksy style.
Tim Walz touted his rural roots and said Donald Trump would take the US “backwards”. He said their Republican rivals in November’s election were “weird as hell”.
The Trump campaign, meanwhile, was quick to attack Mr Walz as a “dangerously liberal extremist”.
The 60-year-old is billed as someone who could win back rural and working-class voters who have gravitated to Donald Trump in crucial midwestern states.
At the rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, Ms Harris, currently the US vice-president, said she and Mr Walz were the “underdogs” in what is expected to be a close election but had the momentum.
She introduced her running mate as “a fighter for the middle class, a patriot”.
Mr Walz then recounted his small-town roots in Nebraska and his career as a national guardsman and teacher, before attempting to draw a contrast with Trump.
“He doesn’t know the first thing about service – because he’s too busy serving himself,” said the former army sergeant and football coach.
He got some of the loudest cheers of the night when he took aim at the former president’s criminal record, with chants of “lock him up” from those in the arena.
He also sparked applause when he invoked a viral attack line that caught the eye of the Harris campaign as she considered who would be her running mate.
“These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell,” Mr Walz said of their Republican challengers.
The governor also said he “can’t wait to debate” Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, “that is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up”.
The pair mostly pitched themselves as defenders of individual freedoms, including on abortion rights and safety from gun violence.
Mr Walz showed the plain-spoken, folksy style that has won praise from Democrats, as he took a jab at Republicans on the issue of abortion access.
“Mind your own damn business!” he said, drawing an ovation from the crowd of more than 10,000 at Temple University.
Ms Harris and Mr Walz have just launched a five-day tour of key battleground states.
They will also speak at the Democratic National Convention, which runs from 19 to 22 August in Chicago.
