Harris, Walz stump in Eau Claire marking first joint appearance in WI

 

EAU CLAIRE Wis. (CBS 58) -- Vice President Kamala Harris formally introduced her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to thousands of voters in Eau Claire Wednesday, marking their first joint appearance in the battleground state.

An energized crowd of more than 12,000 people came to witness the duo on in the western part of the state, according to the campaign.

During her speech, Harris laid out Walz's credentials by touting his experience as a former teacher, football coach, army national guard veteran, and his time severing two decades in congress.

"He has an incredible record," Harris said. "And in 90 days, coach Walz will go by a new title of vice president of the United States."

Harris reiterated their campaign will be one for "all Americans" and said Walz's midwestern background with be an asset in the White House.

Many voters in the crowd were familiar with Walz due to the close proximity the rally was to his home state of Minnesota. The event was held an hour away from the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

Walz, who hopes to bring a balance to the ticket, took shots at former President Donald Trump and his vice-presidential nominee JD Vance.

He repeated his viral comment calling them both "weird" and slammed them on positions on abortion, crime and the economy.

"He drove the economy into the ground and make no mistake about it, violent crime was up when Donald Trump was president," Walz said. "If he gets a chance to go back to the White House, it will be far worse than it was four years ago."

Walz added he "can't wait" until he can debate Vance, which both have said they want to do.

Their visit comes as Democrats have been trying to make inroads in the area after it recently became a swing district that flipped red in 2022 after the party lost the 3rd Congressional District to Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden.

About 5 miles up the road, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance held a dueling event in Eau Claire where he criticized the Harris-Walz ticket as "liberal" and "extreme."