Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz headed to Wisconsin on Wednesday, the day after the official announcement of the Democratic ticket. As did JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate.
“It’s clear to me: The path to the White House goes through this state,” Mr.me Harris in front of several thousand supporters gathered in the city of Eau Claire for an outdoor rally.
With a big smile, she called the ticket of Mr. Walz and herself “joyful warriors.” The presidential candidate warned the crowd against another term for Donald Trump.
Obligatory passage
The event appears to have been particularly popular.
“This is the biggest political rally I’ve seen since Obama in 2008,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire political science professor Geoffrey D. Peterson said by telephone.
Having lived in this town of some 69,000 for more than 20 years, he has witnessed his share of political events, in a region where close results make a visit almost obligatory. The choice, announced Tuesday, of the Democratic candidate for vice-president of Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota – neighboring Wisconsin – was perhaps not unrelated to this craze.
I think Harris made a good choice. He’s a typical Midwestern father figure, and together they bring a good energy.
Geoffrey D. Peterson, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
PHOTO JULIA NIKHINSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in Michigan
Mr Walz’s arrival on the Democratic ticket appears to have been welcomed by donors: in 24 hours, the campaign said it had raised $36 million.
Pivotal State
Mme Harris and Walz weren’t the only candidates stopping in Eau Claire on Wednesday; Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, also visited.
PHOTO ALEX BRANDON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance in Shelby Township, Michigan
The political opponents crossed paths as they arrived on the tarmac, Vance said at a news conference, adding that he approached to “look [son] future plane” – that of the country’s vice-presidents, the position he covets.
Wisconsin is one of the swing states, important to win in November to reach the White House. Joe Biden won the majority of the votes in this state in 2020, but Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In both elections, less than a percentage point separated the candidates.
Midwest
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz both hail from the Midwest, a region both sides are trying to appeal to. And they provide a counterbalance to the more urban profiles of the presidential candidates.
“Governor Walz has a rural background, he worked on agriculture and veterans issues when he was in the House of Representatives, and agriculture is a big part of the Wisconsin economy, as it is in Minnesota,” said Lilly Goren, a political science professor at Carroll University in Waukesha, west of Milwaukee.
Donald Trump did not accompany his running mate to Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, but criticized Mme Harris and Mr. Walz speaking on the phone with the hosts of a Fox News television show. “This is a ticket that would have this country become communist immediately,” he said.
PHOTO KEVIN MOHATT, REUTERS
Democratic supporters wait for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Reviews
In Eau Claire, at a news conference in an aircraft equipment manufacturing hangar, Vance criticized Harris for dodging reporters’ questions. He also blamed her for policies on the southern border that allowed “Mexican cartels to bring fentanyl into our country.”
The opioid crisis, including fentanyl—and there may be some coming from the southern border or other avenues—is something that affects a lot of rural and formerly urban communities, so it speaks to people not just in Wisconsin, but it can speak to them as well.
Lilly Goren, professor of political science at Carroll University
Drawing on his personal experience as the son of a drug addict, Vance said he understood the pain many Americans are experiencing.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were scheduled to travel to Michigan, another swing state, on Wednesday evening. Mr. Vance began his day in the state, in Shelby.
With Agence France-Presse and CNN