EAU CLAIRE, Wis — After a Philadelphia rally that shook the City of Brotherly Love, running mates Kamala Harris and Tim Walz hosted a rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
At almost the same time, Sen. JD Vance held an event to stump for former President Donald Trump just down the road.
Gov. Walz took the stage first, greeting Eau Claire with a joke about pronouncing the city’s name correctly.
He shouted out Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, as well as other state and local officials. Walz also thanked everyone in attendance for coming.
“You came here for one beautiful, simple reason: you love this country and democracy," he said. "You know it, Vice President Harris is on the side of the people. She took on predators, fraudsters, trans-national gang members, she stood up against powerful corporate interests and she never hesitated, not once.”
Walz spoke about his birthplace, Nebraska, and the importance of community. He mentioned his service in the National Guard and said he proudly wore his uniform for 24 years.
Education has always been important to Minnesota’s governor. His father and his siblings were teachers and Walz, a public school teacher himself, spoke of teaching as “noble work.”
It was his students who pushed him to run for office, Walz said, “what they saw in me is what I was trying to instill in them.”
“This idea of a commitment to a better world, a common good, a belief that one single person can actually make a difference,” Walz said.
When he was first in office, Walz said his red neighbors not only allowed him to speak for them in the House of Representatives, they also helped him learn to compromise without compromising his values.
Then Walz brought up Former President Donald Trump.
“He has no understanding of service,” Walz said to a chorus of jeers, “because he’s too busy servicing himself."
“He froze in the face of COVID and it cost people’s lives. He drove the economy into the ground. And make no mistake about it, violent crime was up when Donald trump was president.”
Walz went on to talk about healthcare, especially IVF — a personal topic for the governor, as he and his wife, Gwen, conceived their first child, Hope, through invitro fertilization.
Walz then paused his speech after noticing a member in the crowd who needed assistance. He quickly called for one of his staff members to provide the supporter some water. After the person was evaluated, Walz continued his speech, calling out Project 2025 and Trump's plan for the future.
“Donald Trump is not for you or your family, and Trump’s running mate shares those same dangerous and backwards beliefs!”
As Walz introduced Kamala Harris to the crowd, the Vice President took the stage to raucous cheers with a big smile.
Harris recognized Gov. Tony Evers, Tammy Baldwin and several others and she also shared a greeting from President Joe Biden.
The crowd responded by chanting “Thank You Joe.” Harris promised to pass the message along to the president.
She recognized Gov. Tim Walz’s long resume, listing his titles from “Dad” to “Coach.”
“And in 90 days the national will know Coach Walz by a new title: Vice President of the United States of America.”
Harris sounded confident as she told the crowd that “We are going to win.”
The VP then turned to her own impressive resume and highlighted her experience in prosecuting perpetrators, including predators, fraudsters, scammers and other criminals.
“So hear me when I say,” Harris continued, “I know Donald Trump’s type.”
The crowd roared.
Harris outlined Trump’s recent convictions and confidently asserted that she would put her record up against his.
She spoke about the contrasting visions each campaign has for the country, claiming she’s focused on the future, while the former president is focused on the past.
“We fight for the future,” she said. “We fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to join a union. We fight for a future where every senior can retire with dignity. A future where we build a broad-based economy and one where every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business and build wealth.”
While discussing the economy, Harris spoke about prices for essential products, including groceries. She brought up her time as California’s Attorney General, and her willingness to go after price-fixing schemes. In 2011, Harris joined a handful of other attorneys general to get a half-billion dollar settlement with 10 companies accused of engaging in price fixing LCD panels, and in 2016, she helped get a nearly $5 million settlement against companies allegedly price fixing TVs and computer monitors.
“When I am president, it will be a day one priority to fight to bring down prices,” she said. “I will take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging. I will take on corporate landlords that unfairly raise rent on working families, I will take on big pharma and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans and continue to bring manufacturing jobs back to America.”
Harris shifted her focus to Project 2025, which is a roadmap created by a conservative think tank to transform the government in favor of conservative social policies and ideals. While Trump has denied any affiliation to the initiative, there are several former members from his administration as well as campaign workers who have contributed or promoted it.
“I’m telling you, it is a plan to weaken the middle class,” Harris said of Project 2025. “If he is elected, Donald Trump intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. He intends to cut social security and Medicare. He intends to surrender our fight against the climate crisis and he intends to end the Affordable Care Act.”
She then continued to hit hard on her message of “moving forward,” adding that she wants to continue to fight for the future by addressing voting rights, gun control laws and abortion rights.
The vice president concluded her speech talking about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision about presidential immunity, Trump’s dictator comments and past claims about him wanting to terminate the constitution.
“Let us be clear, someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States, should never have the chance to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States,” Harris said.