CHICAGO — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention breakfast program for the delegation from Wisconsin — one of the few swing states — to encourage attendees to continue their dogged campaigning through the Nov. 5 election.
Walz repeated a refrain from his brief time on the campaign trail, urging Wisconsin residents to vote for their vice president, Kamala Harris, as quickly as possible on Election Day. She is scheduled to give her acceptance speech as the party’s presidential candidate on Thursday evening.
“We have 78 days of hard work ahead of us,” Walz said. “We can sleep when we’re dead.”
Harris’ entry into the race less than a month ago – after President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw – has given Democrats modern momentum and led to a flood of modern volunteers signing up for the campaign, Walz said.
Walz urged the crowd not only to focus on defeating former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, but also to apply their own agenda as motivation.
“It’s not just about beating these guys,” Walz said. “It’s about the idea of the things we believe in, whether it’s democracy or freedom or the strength of our public schools.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore struck a similar tone in his remarks to the delegation.
“The reason we’re all so excited … is not because we’re afraid of the alternative,” Moore said. “We don’t need to talk anymore about how dangerous that alternative is. The reason we’re going to fight, the reason we’re going to win, is not because we’re afraid of the alternative, but because we’re so hopeful and optimistic about the future under a Harris-Waltz administration.”
A democratic government will address housing shortages, child poverty and gun violence, Moore said.
The Democratic message of unity resonated with Michael Jones, a delegate from Wisconsin and a special education teacher in Madison.
“We all know how terrible the alternative is, but we talk not only about that, but also about the joy and positivity that comes when we come together,” he said.
Swing state
Speakers highlighted Wisconsin’s importance as one of the few states where the presidential election is neck and neck.
“You know what you have to do,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told the group. “The nation is counting on you.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers told reporters following his prepared remarks that Democrats in the state would work to mobilize voters for the presidential election.
“That’s our job,” he said. “We can’t expect Tim Walz or Kamala Harris to show up in Wisconsin every day. So we’re going to do it.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York also addressed the delegation, saying that the re-election of Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin was crucial to maintaining the Democratic majority in the Senate.
“Without a Baldwin victory, we cannot hold the Senate,” he said.
Schumer supported Baldwin’s work in the Senate, including on a bipartisan bill to boost microchip manufacturing.
Top topic: education
Walz’s visit motivated the delegates, including Terri Wenkman of Jefferson, Wisconsin.
“I was most pleased with the surprise visit from Tim Walz,” said Wenkman, a former school board member. “Public education is a big issue for me, so I can really identify with the selection of someone who was a public school teacher himself and has been an advocate for public education.”
Wenkman added that Walz’s message of pushing strenuous to the finish line resonated, and said the shortened campaign season could benefit Democrats.
Walz’s background as a high school teacher and football coach was evident in his speech, Jones said.
Evers, also a former teacher and state school inspector, referred to Walz’s teaching career in his prepared remarks.
“We know what happens when we elect teachers,” he said.
