Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz marked the first day of early voting in Arizona on Wednesday with a series of events in the battleground state.
Walz was joined by Arizona Senate candidate, Rep. Ruben Gallego, and Jim McCain, the son of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, for an event with veterans in Chandler, Ariz., to kick off the day.
Speaking from the VFW Post named after McCain, Walz reflected on his time serving on the Veterans Affairs Committee while representing Minnesota in Congress, touting the bipartisan nature with which he said it operates and making the case that his would-be boss, Vice President Kamala Harris would bring that same mindset to the Oval Office if elected.
“It was a reprieve to go into that committee and to watch folks work together – that’s what Americans expect,” Walz said. “That’s what Vice President Harris was talking about, she wants to be a president for all Americans.”
The vice presidential candidate went on to share an anecdote about getting off a campaign bus with Harris in Pennsylvania and seeing supporters of the campaign on one side of the street and protestors on the other.
“But she never missed a beat, she said ‘Tim, don’t ever forget, we work just as hard for that side of the street as we do this side of the street,’” he recalled.
Walz went on to slam he and Harris’ GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump. He specifically referenced reports from former Trump administration officials claiming the former president wanted to withhold disaster aid for blue states.
“And when we have people coming and saying before decisions were made about determining aid, former President Donald Trump asked to see how those people voted,” Walz said. “Never in our life would we ask that. Never in our lifetime would we ask that.”
The Minnesota governor also condemned Trump’s approach to America’s place on the world stage, saying his ability to “embrace totalitarians is a development in this country that I thought I would never see.”
Jim McCain, who announced last month that he was switching his party affiliation to Democratic and planning to vote for Harris in November, noted alongside Walz on Wednesday that such a move was “not an easy decision.”
“I made that choice because I believe we must stand up for what is right,” he said. “I cannot, like many of you, sit back while the principles that make this country strong come under attack.”
Harris’ campaign has made a point to attempt to reach out to moderate-GOP voters who may be turned off by Trump, launching an organizing effort named “Republicans for Harris.”
Just last week Harris was joined by former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, for a campaign event in Ripon, Wisconsin, considered the birthplace of the Republican party. Over the last few weeks, Harris has also received the backing of former Trump White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, at least 100 GOP national security officials and a group of more than 200 Republicans affiliated with McCain, former President George W. Bush and current Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
Walz on Wednesday also took part in a campaign event in the Gila River Indian Community, where he stressed the significance of building partnerships with tribes and Native American communities. Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis noted that if Harris is elected, Walz’ lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, would become the first Native American governor of a U.S. state in history.
Walz also spoke at a rally in Tucson on Wednesday.
A senior Harris campaign official said the vice president’s team is setting off on a push in Arizona this week as early voting begins. Harris is set to hold a rally in the state on Thursday. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and first lady Jill Biden are also on the ground for campaign events.
The official noted that more than 6,000 people have signed up to canvass and phone bank on behalf of Harris this week while volunteers knocked on more than 26,000 doors and made half a million phone calls this past weekend.