Harris and Walz campaign in crucial Michigan and Wisconsin

Washington — Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigned alongside her new running mate, Tim Walz, in battleground states Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, offering an early test of his Midwestern credentials.

The trip to Eau Claire in Wisconsin and Detroit in Michigan is part of the introductory campaign swing for Walz, the governor of nearby Minnesota. Harris named Walz as her vice-presidential pick on Tuesday in the biggest political decision of her nascent White House bid, which has energised Democrats and shaken up the race.

The selection of Walz — a governor, Army National Guard veteran and former teacher and football coach — adds geographic balance to a ticket with a Californian at the helm who needs a strong showing in the Midwest to win the November 5 election against Republican rival Donald Trump.

A former congressman who won elections in a Republican-leaning district before becoming governor, Walz has a record of appealing to the white, rural voters who have increasingly turned to Trump over the years.

Trump and his running mate, senator JD Vance of Ohio, have rushed to portray Walz as too left-wing, echoing their criticisms of Harris.

In an interview on Fox News on Wednesday, Trump called Walz a radical liberal and claimed he was “thrilled” Harris has picked him.

Trump also said he would debate Harris in the “pretty near future” and that details would be announced soon. He said his preference was for Fox to host the debate.

Last week Trump proposed a debate with Harris on Fox News on September 4. The Harris campaign said Trump was trying to back out of a debate that had already been set with ABC on September 10.

Vance was visiting Detroit and Eau Claire on Wednesday, continuing an unusual tour trailing Harris and Walz this week.

In Detroit, Vance tried out some attack lines on his Democratic counterpart, criticising Walz’s handling of the protests in Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd there by police in 2020.

Critics have accused Walz of being too slow to mobilise law enforcement to stop looting, arson and violence that accompanied the protests.

“He allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis,” Vance said.

Leading civil rights advocates, however, have credited Walz for his decision to have Minnesota’s attorney-general lead the prosecution of the police officer who was convicted of murdering Floyd.

Vance also slammed Walz’s military record, saying he abandoned his National Guard battalion just before its deployment to Iraq in 2005. Walz, who served in the Guard for 24 years, retired to run for Congress.

“I think it’s shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you’re going to follow through and then drop out right before you actually have to go,” said Vance, who served in the Marine Corps and was a public affairs officer during a six-month stint in Iraq.

Walz’s debut

Democrats regard Wisconsin and Michigan as near must-wins in the 2024 election. The states have loomed large for the party since Hillary Clinton’s unexpected defeats there helped clinch Trump’s 2016 win.

Biden beat Trump in both states in 2020, but opinion polls showed him facing a close battle in Michigan before he dropped out of the race last month. Much of the state’s significant Arab and Muslim population has been fuming over his administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza after the October 7 attacks.

The Democratic candidates are expected to travel to more than a half-dozen states likely to determine the winner of the election, as the campaign aims to introduce Walz, who is not well known nationally.

At the pair’s first rally together on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Harris devoted much of her speech to highlighting Walz’s background as a small town native, a high school social studies teacher and football coach and a Guardsman.

Walz, a folksy, affable speaker, nevertheless did not hold back on Trump and Vance, repeating his viral comment that they are “weird” — and adding “creepy” — and criticising them over abortion, crime and the economy.

Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket two weeks ago has dramatically reshaped the race. Polls show she has erased the lead that Trump had built during the final faltering weeks of Biden’s campaign, and a re-energised Democratic Party has flooded her campaign with donations.

The Harris campaign said it raised more than $20m on Tuesday after announcing Walz as the vice-presidential pick.

Walz, who was first elected Minnesota governor in 2018 and again in 2022, has pursued progressive policies, including free school meals, measures to combat climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and enhanced paid leave for workers.

Harris had considered several other candidates for her running mate, notably Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, who some Democrats had backed given the importance of his home state in November’s election.

Reuters