Now things are really getting started: The new Democratic duo is hunting for votes in the most contested states. But they are not alone.
The day after their big debut, the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her newly elected vice president Tim Walz are beginning a tour of particularly contested states. The Democratic duo’s opening in Philadelphia in what is probably the most important swing state of Pennsylvania will be followed by appearances in Wisconsin and Michigan. The election campaign is entering the hot phase: Republican opponent Donald Trump is sending his vice president JD Vance to the same states at the same time.
Harris and Walz were received to thunderous applause in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening (local time). Harris was placed at the front of the line after US President Joe Biden decided not to run again. Her official nomination was supposed to take place at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22, but was brought forward and handled digitally for bureaucratic reasons.
At their first joint appearance, Harris was confident of victory. “We have the momentum and I know exactly what we’re dealing with,” said the 59-year-old, praising her running mate as a leader – Walz is “the kind of vice president America deserves.” She emphasized, among other things, the 60-year-old’s support for military veterans, unions, liberal abortion rights and stricter gun laws.
Walz pokes fun at Trump and Vance
Walz has been governor of the state of Minnesota since 2019 and previously served for a long time as a member of the House of Representatives. Before his political career, he worked as a teacher for many years. The married father of two children is known for his down-to-earth nature and direct way of conveying political messages. His wife Gwen is also a teacher.
The fact that Harris ultimately chose a candidate without a strong national profile was a surprise to many. In his new role, Walz went straight into verbal attacks on the Republican opposition: He mocked Trump and Vance, accusing them of being dishonest. “Donald Trump is not fighting for you or your family,” Walz said of the former president. He then added, referring to his own childhood in the rural US state of Nebraska: “He never sat at a kitchen table like the one I grew up at, where we wondered how we were going to pay the bills. He sat at his country club in Mar-a-Lago and thought about how he could lower taxes for his rich friends.”
He had sarcasm for Trump’s running mate Vance: “Like all the normal people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at (the elite university) Yale, had his career financed by Silicon Valley billionaires and then wrote a best-seller in which he slammed the people of his hometown.” The audience reacted to the joking vice-president with loud cheers.
Donations continue to flow
The “momentum” is also paying off financially for Harris and Walz. As the New York Times reported, the two collected campaign donations totaling more than 20 million US dollars (about 18 million euros) on Tuesday alone. The fundraising platform ActBlue, which is close to the Democrats and from which other candidates also benefit, recorded an average of three million US dollars (about 2.7 million euros) in donations within half a day – per hour.
The Democrats are currently riding a wave of success, and not just financially. Harris’ entry into the race for the White House is also generating enthusiasm among well-known faces from Hollywood. For example, US model Chrissy Teigen shared a photo on Instagram in which she posed wearing a Harris shirt. Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis posted a photo of Harris and Walz on the same platform with the comment: “Let’s go America!”
At Harris and Walz’s event in Wisconsin, the indie band Bon Iver will provide musical accompaniment, as did US rapper Megan Thee Stallion at a solo performance by Harris. There is now speculation as to whether even bigger names, such as Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, could soon publicly campaign for the Democrats.
Trump rants at Truth Social
After Walz was announced as vice president, the Republican opposition tried to portray the duo as extreme. “This is the most left-wing radical duo in American history,” Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social. “There has never been anything like this and there never will be again.” The 78-year-old also called Harris “crazy.” His running mate Vance chose similar words. The appointment underscores “how radical Kamala Harris is,” said the senator from Ohio. He accused the Democrat, among other things, of having “listened to the Hamas wing of her own party.”
Walz is particularly supported by the left wing of the Democrats, which stands for a more critical stance towards Israel than the center of the party. He has recently repeatedly questioned the Biden administration’s Middle East policy. Walz has so far been rather reserved in his comments on the situation in the Middle East.
Walz is not a pure left-wing candidate. He also received support from the center of the party, including from former US President Barack Obama. He said his party colleague Harris had chosen an “ideal partner.” Walz has “the values and integrity to make us proud.” US President Biden also expressed his support.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
