RACINE, Wis. — Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance was back in the Badger State on Monday, just a week after his last stop in the swing state.
With early voting now well underway, former President Donald Trump’s running mate urged supporters not to wait to cast their ballot.
With a week to go, Monday’s campaign stop at Racine Memorial Hall also focused on the economy.
“The people who want to lead you ought to go out and earn your vote, not be expected to just be given your vote,” Vance told the crowd. “I think that’s common sense.”
Vance went on to make a push for something Republicans have historically been reluctant to do — vote early.
“Whether it’s early, whether it’s on Election Day, whether it’s by mail, we’ve got to use every method possible to get out there and vote,” Vance said.
Fellow Republicans who shared the stage with Vance also called on supporters to act sooner rather than later.
“For far too long, Republicans had a terrible idea that was we were going to wait until the end of the game to start playing,” Rep. Bryan Steil said.
“You’ve got to spend all of your waking moments between now and Election Day to find other people and help them vote early, take them to the polls on Election Day,” Sen. Ron Johnson added. “We have to do this.”
However, Monday wasn’t all about casting ballots. Vance also vowed that he and former President Trump would fight to lower interest rates, if elected.
“I’m the first millennial on a major party ticket, and I speak for a lot in my generation, and especially people who are even younger than I am, we want to be able to afford the American Dream of homeownership, and we want every American child to be able to own a stake in this country that all of us love,” Vance said.
Vance also told the crowd at Racine Memorial Hall to make sure American homes go to American people; they plan to focus on immigration.
“How can she say that she’s going to secure the border when she herself opened the border? How can Kamala Harris say that she’s going to bring peace back to the world when it’s her weakness on the world stage that has invited chaos and war to break out all over the globe? And the answer, my friends, is that she can’t,” Vance said. “So, in eight short days, I’d like you to help me and join me in saying, ‘You’re fired’ to Kamala Harris. ‘Go back to San Francisco where you belong.’”
Meanwhile, Democrats used the opportunity to tie Vance to Trump’s record.
“JD Vance is coming to stand by Donald Trump as those who know Trump best are warning about the dangers of a second term. Trump's former chief of staff called him ‘very dangerous’ and warned he wanted to use the military against American citizens,” Kristi Johnston, Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign Rapid Response Director, said in a statement. “Trump is a risk to the safety and security of our country, which is why Republicans across the country, including in Wisconsin, are putting country over party and endorsing Vice President Harris to turn the page on the chaos of Trump and fight for all Americans.”
Sen. Vance has been to Wisconsin seven times since accepting the party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.
On Wednesday, Trump will host his seventh event in the state within that same time frame.