Harris, Trump campaigns rally in Wisconsin; battleground push
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Both the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns swung through battleground Wisconsin on Wednesday – holding rallies just a few miles apart from one another.
As new poll results show, it's anybody's race in Wisconsin.
Harris, Walz rally
Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her new running mate to Wisconsin. Aside from Minnesota, western Wisconsin might now Gov. Tim Walz best. He drew big cheers from the crowd as he called on supporters to keep sprinting through the finish line.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
"Coach Walz and I know that when America's middle class is strong, America is strong," Harris said.
Wednesday's rally at the Country Jam USA festival grounds brought a familiar message from the vice president's past Wisconsin stops – just with new signs and a new running mate.
"When Vice President Harris and I and everybody here talks about freedom, we mean the freedom to make your own health care decisions. And for all of our little ones to be free to go to school without being worried about being shot dead in their classrooms," Walz said.
Vance rally
Shortly before Harris' remarks, Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance spoke just a few miles away. Donald Trump's running mate visited a local manufacturer and promised stronger economic growth under a second Trump presidency.
The Ohio Senator also shared his feelings about Harris' new running mate.
"If there's a single issue around which I think Gov. Walz has to answer when it comes to his record – this is a guy who says that he stands for public safety, but actively encouraged the rioters who burned down Minneapolis," Vance said. "I think that if you want to say you stand for public safety, you cannot look the American people in the eye and say, ‘Well, I welcomed the people who caused $13 billion of damage to Minneapolis because I encouraged them to burn my city to the ground rather than to exercise some basic self-control,’ and rather encouraged law enforcement to do what they can do and keep us all safe."
Vance was in Michigan earlier Wednesday as both campaigns work to shore up support in Midwestern battleground states. Meanwhile, fellow Republicans said it's time for a change. They also targeted Walz in a pre-rally news conference.
"The fact that his nickname is ‘Tampon Tim’ indicates the fact that he pushed and signed the bill to force women’s feminine hygiene products be installed in boys' bathrooms. Again, that is not where mainstream Wisconsinites are. That is just radical craziness," said U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin).
Harris-Walz supporters in Eau Claire, however, said they see Walz support for reproductive rights as a strength.