Kamala Harris holds first rallies with VP in swing states

The Democratic Party of the United States kicked off its electoral campaign this Wednesday (7) with its presidential ticket finally defined. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her vice, Tim Walz, visited three swing states, decisive in the history of the race for the White House, and outlined what the campaign rhetoric will be like.

The delegation passed through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday (6), and kicked off in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan, this Wednesday.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) made the name of the current vice president official this Monday (5), after Kamala obtained the support of 4,567 party delegates, 99% of the total, in an internal vote, carried out online over five days.

On Tuesday (6), the current vice president announced her invitation to the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. In the evening, the Democratic duo made their first public appearance, at a rally held in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania (19 delegates) is one of the swing states (swing statesin English) of the country, with the power to decide the presidential elections. This is also the case of Wisconsin (10 delegates) and Michigan (15 delegates), neighbors of Minnesota, where Tim Walz governs; Arizona (11 delegates), Georgia (16 delegates) and Nevada (6 delegates).

At the Pennsylvania rally, Kamala formally accepted the nomination: “I stand before you today to proudly announce that I am now officially the Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Kamala said. “And now we have work to do. We need to go to the general election and win this,” she added.

The candidate appeared on the catwalk to the podium alongside a smiling and energetic Tim Walz, in front of 14,000 people at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. The choice of the city was strategic since it has the largest number of voters in the state of Pennsylvania, in addition to bordering New Jersey, another important American state, close to New York.

#AFPxElEconomista | Kamala Harris and Tim Walz introduce themselves to Americans at their first rally in Philadelphia 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6GJly7EBtc

— The Economist (@eleconomista) August 7, 2024

Earlier, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was overlooked by Kamala for vice president, opened the rally and endorsed Walz, calling him “a great man and a great patriot.” Kamala thanked Shapiro and said that “together, with Josh Shapiro, we will win in Pennsylvania.”

Waltz was the first member of the ticket to speak at the Liacouras Center, saying he was “proud” to be on the Democratic ticket and praising Kamala for taking on “fraudsters,” dismantling “international gangs,” and opposing “big business.”

Walz’s speech was emphatic in its attacks on Trump, stating that the Republican “has no idea what it means to work for America” and that he only defends his own interests. “Donald Trump sees the world a little differently than we do. First of all, he doesn’t know anything about serving people. He doesn’t have time for that because he’s too busy serving himself,” he criticized.

Walz’s behavior was praised by Democratic cadres and the first hours since the formation of the duo excited supporters, who broke new records for financial donations to the campaign.

“This ticket is exciting,” Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison said of the vice presidential pick. “Kamala and Walz are bringing a level of energy not just to the Democratic Party, but I think to American politics, that we don’t see on the other side of the aisle,” he said, referring to the Republican campaign.

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle praised Kamala’s choice.

“Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for. Governor Walz not only has the experience to be vice president, he has the values ​​and integrity that make us proud,” the couple said.

Walz plays “home” during Wisconsin rally

After stopping in Pennsylvania, the Democratic campaign moved on to two other swing states. On Wednesday (4), Kamala Harris and Tim Walz completed their schedule in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and then landed in Detroit, Michigan.

In Wisconsin, the duo played as the home team, as the state is governed by Democrat Tony Evers. The state borders Minnesota, where Kamala’s vice president is governor.

“I lived in a red light district [republicano]”, commented Walz when establishing the difference between himself and the Republican wing that has taken over the party since the arrival of Donald Trump.

“But my neighbors were kind enough to give me a seat in the House of Representatives for 12 years. I learned to compromise.” [com meu eleitorado republicano]without compromising my values,” he said. “And as governor of Minnesota I brought all that experience.”

At that point, Walz was interrupted by cheers from the audience as he mentioned the name of his state. “Okay, okay… are there any Minnesotans in the house today?” he joked, to which he was greeted by a flurry of “yeahs.”

Let’s get 500 retweets on this as quickly as possible and show this MASSIVE crowd in Wisconsin for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the world. pic.twitter.com/BDZTsSJWOC

— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) August 7, 2024

“Being from the Midwest, I know a thing or two about commitment to the American people,” the Minnesota Democrat said. “This is a campaign about where we’re going and that’s a future where everyone matters, everyone is included,” Walz said.

In addition to representing a regional force in the Midwest, the governor of Minnesota has great appeal among rural voters, having represented an agricultural district during his terms as a congressman, as well as among military personnel, whose rights he defended.

Waltz has connections in sectors considered conservative, which are essentially the base of his rival, Donald Trump. The expectation is that his choice could help attract back working-class voters who moved away from the Democrats in the last elections and supported Trump in 2016.

Despite Walz’s tendencies, he should do more to attract undecided voters than to “steal” votes from Trump. The governor has a solid Democratic background with programs aimed at expanding access to health care, union organizations and even passed a law that guaranteed the right to abortion in the state he leads.

“I know guys like Trump,” says former prosecutor

Shortly after his speech, Walz gave way to running mate Kamala Harris to have her first contact with the people of Wisconsin. In chorus with the audience, the current vice president thanked Joe Biden for his nomination and services to the United States and stated that the country “will not go backwards,” a mantra of the Democratic campaign.

A prosecutor in San Francisco and California, Kamala has exploited the fact that former President Donald Trump has had recurring problems with the American justice system.

In Eau Claire, Harris said that “the Supreme Court basically said that the former president would be immune no matter what he does in the White House.” In July, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump is entitled to limited presidential immunity from criminal charges against him. The decision was made by a 6-3 vote.

“Think about what that means. The former president has openly stated that if reelected, he would behave like a dictator from day one,” she said. She also said that “anyone who suggests that we should do away with the U.S. Constitution should never be allowed to serve as president of the United States.”

Here’s the crowd for Vice President @KamalaHarris and Gov. @Tim_Walz rally in Detroit today. pic.twitter.com/i4Q5HMa5Ib

— Andrew Roth (@RothTheReporter) August 7, 2024

Trump faces multiple state and federal charges related to his business dealings, his handling of classified U.S. documents and his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“As attorney general, I held the big Wall Street banks accountable for fraud,” Harris said. “Donald Trump has just been found guilty of fraud. Throughout this campaign, I will be proud to compare my record to his any day.”

“I know Donald Trump’s type, in fact, I’ve been dealing with men like him my entire career,” she said.

The candidate also calmed down the cries calling for the arrest of former President Donald Trump. A chorus shouted “arrest him, arrest him, arrest him,” while the Democrat said that “the courts will take care of that part.”

“Well, wait, you know what? The courts will take care of that part. What we’re going to do is defeat him in November,” she replied, prompting a new and strong reaction from the public.

Middle class expansion and criticism of playboy Trump

In the second part of the Democratic agenda, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz landed in Detroit, Michigan, another swing state. The city is known for having many former auto workers who fled to China in search of tax breaks.

In 2016, the state gave victory to Donald Trump after 28 years of Democratic rule. But in 2020, by a small margin (50.6% – 47.8%), the state went blue again.

At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Harris and Walz delivered their message of protecting democracy, the middle class and reproductive rights in what they say was the largest rally of the campaign.

“When I become president, it will be my first priority to fight to lower prices [inflação]take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging, take on corporate landlords who unfairly raise rents on working families, take on Big Pharma, and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans,” Harris said.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working families first,” she said. “When the middle class is strong, America is strong.” “If elected, Donald Trump intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare, he intends to give up on our fight against the climate crisis, and he intends to end the Affordable Care Act,” she said.