Former President Bill Clinton addresses the crowd during a rally in Durham on Wednesday. (Photo: Greg Childress)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton went on the attack in Durham on Thursday, criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign tactics while making a case for a Kamala Harris presidency.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz talks to Durham crowd on Wednesday. (Photo: Greg Childress)
Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, also took aim at former president Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, recalling how Vance refused to acknowledge during the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate that Trump lost the 2020 election.
On Wednesday, Vance plainly told reporters at a rally in central Pennsylvania that he does not believe Trump lost the last presidential election.
Vance’s loyalty to Trump is misguided, Walz said.
“We don’t serve an individual. We serve the Constitution and the people of the United States,” Walz said. “JD Vance made it clear that his fealty is to Donald Trump, not this community or any community across the country.”
Walz said the good news is that Vance will never get the chance to serve as vice president and Trump won’t serve a second term.
“You can say no to them and yes to Kamala Harris and a unified country, a new way forward,” Vance told a cheering crowd.
Calling out Trump’s lies, touting Harris’ policy proposals
Walz criticized Trump for continuing to tell lies about immigrants in Ohio and Colorado in attempt to lead the country “down a road of chaos and division.” Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating family pets. He has also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Venezuelan gangs have taken over apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado.
“These lies that they [Trump and Vance] are saying, Republican officials are telling them to stop it,” Vance said. “And then they tell lies about the Republican officials who tell them to quit telling lies.”
Walz’s visit to heavily Democratic Durham was an effort to build excitement and to energize voters on the first day of early voting in Durham and surrounding counties.
Most polls show an ever tightening race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, Harris leads Trump 49% to 47% in North Carolina among likely voters. Meanwhile, Trump leads Harris in Georgia 52% to 45%, according to the poll. Both states are being closely watched as Election Day draws near.
Walz and several local and state leaders touted Harris’ economic plan to a crowd of several hundred supporters who cheered and snapped photos throughout the rally at the Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park.
State Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham, said there’s too much at stake to sit out the 2024 election.
Several hundred supporters turned out for Democratic political rally in Durham on Wednesday. (Photo: Greg Childress)
“This is the most consequential election that I’ve ever been a part of,” Hawkins said. “In case you didn’t know, I’m voting for Vice President Harris and I’m voting for Coach [Tim] Walz. I’m voting for them because they have a plan to ensure that all North Carolinians have an opportunity — not to just get by but to get ahead.”
The visit by Harris’ running mate comes four days after Harris visited the state. Harris was in Raleigh on Saturday where she helped pack aid boxes for people impacted by recent hurricanes at a downtown restaurant. Harris also held a rally in Greenville, her first in eastern North Carolina.
Under a Harris administration, Walz said, 100 million Americans would see a tax cut. He said the administration would also work to keep life-saving medicines affordable for citizens.
Walz noted Harris’ proposal to help build three million new homes during her first term and to provide $25,000 in downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers.
“The downpayment is what keeps us out of the home,” Walz said. “By doing the tax credit and allowing it to go forward, more people can buy homes across this country.”
Walz lauds Cooper and Stein, Clinton warns of threats to democracy
Walz gave a shout out to Gov. Roy Cooper praising him for his efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“I got to tell you North Carolina, and you saw it over these last challenging weeks, [Gov.] Roy Cooper is an absolute gem.”
Walz said Cooper will leave big shoes to fill, but he’s certain State Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for governor, is going to do “just fine.” Polls show Stein with a double-digit lead over Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson with less than three weeks left to go in the campaign.
President Clinton said Harris’ decision to pick Walz as a running mate says a lot about the kind of president she will be. The fact that Trump selected Vance is also telling, Clinton said.
Vance has defied countless courts and many Trump-appointed judges to claim that Trump did not lose the 2020 election, Clinton said.
Clinton likened a presidential election to a job interview for the most important job in the world. He said voters should ask: “Which candidate will take us forward? Which will take us back? Which will give our children a brighter future or a darker, more uncertain one? Which will make us more united and which will relish in every new division? Which will make us all feel heard and seen, regardless of who we vote for.”
Most importantly, Clinton said, voters must ask whether we will all live under the same rules after the election.
“That’s a big deal in a democracy,” Clinton said. “It’s not just about who gets the most votes. It’s what rules do you play under when it’s over. He’s [Trump] got a Supreme Court that virtually said that once you get to be president, you can just make up the rules.”
Durham resident Antonio Jones sat in the stands located behind the speakers. Jones told NC Newsline after the rally that it was encouraging that Durham residents and those from surrounding counties came together to hear what he called a message of unity during the home stretch of the campaign.
“It’s always good when presidential candidates come through with plans that will benefit people, not only nationwide but in North Carolina,” Jones said.