Kamala Harris introduces Tim Walz as VP pick at packed Liacouras Center

Tim Walz skyrocketed to the top of the Veepstakes after calling Trump and his running mate “weird” and contrasting their extreme policies with what Democrats are prioritizing. 

From “yinz” to “youse,” the road to the White House for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, runs through Pennsylvania.  

Harris officially became the Democratic Party’s candidate on Monday after securing enough delegates for the nominee, and on Tuesday, she introduced Walz to the country in front of over 10,000 supporters inside a raucous Liacouras Center on Temple University’s campus in Philadelphia. 

Tuesday’s rally was the largest event the Harris campaign has held so far and Harris supporters were met with a party atmosphere that included the 76ers drum line.

Harris and Walz walked onto the stage and were greeted by a deafening standing ovation. 

“Philadelphia, I launched my campaign for the president of the United States a mere two weeks ago, and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Harris told the crowd. “Just last night the delegates to the Democratic national convention finished voting and so, I stand before you today to proudly announce that I am now officially the Democratic nominee.”

Harris then went on to tell the crowd how she knew Trump’s type from her experiences in the courtroom. 

“In those roles I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type.”

Walz is a veteran, former high school teacher and football coach and as governor, he provided universal free school meals for Minnesota students, legalized recreational marijuana, and made abortion rights a fundamental right. 

“I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket, and to help make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States,” Walz said at the rally.

“From her first day as a prosecutor,  as District Attorney, as Attorney General of California, as a US Senator, and as Vice President, Vice President Harris has fought on the side of the American people. She took on predators and fraudsters, took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests — she’s never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people’s lives. And she brings joy to everything she does.”

Walz gained national recognition over the past two weeks after going viral for calling former President Donald Trump and his running mate, US Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), “weird” on MSNBC. Walz called Trump weird for supporting book bans, his role in the overturning of Roe v. Wade and his hostility to reproductive rights, and his repeated praise of Hannibal Lecter, a fictional cannibalistic serial killer from Silence of the Lambs, during campaign rallies.

“I just have to say it,” Walz said to the Philadelphia crowd. “You know it, you feel it. These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell,” to a thunderous applause. 

Pennsylvania is often described as one of the most important swing states each election cycle and 2024 is shaping up to be the same as any other year. 

Axios reported that Harris and Trump have spent a combined $211 million on political ads in Pennsylvania since March. For perspective, the two campaigns have spent $25 million more on ads in the Keystone State than the next two closest states, Michigan and Georgia, combined. 

Harris has raised over $310 million since announcing her candidacy with $200 million coming in the first week. A bulk of the money came from 3 million individual donors, two-thirds of whom donated for the first time. 

That enthusiasm has translated into supporters volunteering for the campaign. So far over 200,000 Democrats nationally, and over 33,000 in Pennsylvania, have signed up to help the Harris campaign in some capacity. 

Harris and Walz promised to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and expand gun safety measures, if elected.

“This is such a momentous moment. It’s historic to witness a female person of color. It’s so exciting,” Ariel Stein, a Dallas, Pennsylvania resident, told The Keystone in an interview. 

Stein said that she appreciates Walz’s record as a teacher and veteran and was looking forward to learning more about him on Tuesday.

“I love that he’s focused on education. That he’s a veteran. I’m also a veteran of the Marine Corps and I appreciate that.”