Kamala Harris focuses on freedom at first rally with Tim Walz

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Kamala Harris launched her new operating mate within the race for the White Home at a raucous Democratic get together rally on Tuesday, presenting Tim Walz as a champion of freedoms held pricey by center America that her rival Donald Trump was plotting to remove.

Harris’s feedback in entrance of 1000’s of cheering supporters in Philadelphia got here after polls confirmed the vice-president shifting barely forward of her Republican rival in some nationwide and essential battleground state polling averages.

“We’re the underdogs on this race, however we’ve got the momentum and I do know precisely what we’re up towards,” Harris mentioned of her presidential marketing campaign, which started on July 21 after President Joe Biden dropped his flagging re-election effort.

“My promise to you is that this: our marketing campaign will attain out to everybody. From crimson states to blue states. From the heartland to the coasts. We’re operating a marketing campaign on behalf of all Individuals,” she added.

The occasion within the essential swing state of Pennsylvania captured the sharp shift within the Democrats’ messaging since Harris turned the get together’s candidate. Turning from Biden’s framing of the election as a battle for democracy, she and Walz pitched themselves as defenders of non-public freedoms, together with abortion rights, and security from gun violence.

“A few of us are sufficiently old to recollect when it was Republicans who had been speaking about freedom. It seems now what they meant was the federal government must be free to invade your physician’s workplace,” Walz instructed the group: “In Minnesota . . . there’s a golden rule: thoughts your individual rattling enterprise.”

Harris has additionally managed to unite the get together round her candidacy forward of the Democratic conference in Chicago later this month, and has remodeled its fundraising, pulling in $200mn within the first week of her marketing campaign.

On Tuesday, she introduced Walz as her vice-presidential nominee, choosing him over Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, and Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator, after interviews on the weekend. Her marketing campaign mentioned she had raised a further $20mn within the hours for the reason that choice was introduced.

Walz is a mainstream Democrat from the Midwest who appeals to each the progressive and reasonable wings of the get together. However Shapiro and Kelly had been thought of extra centrist candidates, and Walz was instantly attacked by Trump and Republicans as a radical leftist.

Harris defended her choose as a pointy distinction to each Trump and JD Vance, the Ohio senator and the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

“We each consider in lifting individuals up, not knocking them down. We each know that the overwhelming majority of us have a lot extra in frequent than what separates us. And we see in our fellow Individuals neighbours, by no means enemies,” she mentioned.

As they campaigned, Harris and Walz didn’t wade into the thorny financial and international coverage questions that could possibly be problematic within the race towards Trump, together with the slowing labour market and market turmoil of latest days, in addition to excessive tensions within the Center East.

Hundreds of followers waited exterior the venue then packed into the seats carrying glowing crimson, white and blue bracelets. They cheered on the audio system together with Shapiro and Pennsylvania senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey. When Harris and Walz took the stage, there was a loud roar.

“Minnesota’s energy comes from our values — our dedication to working collectively, to seeing previous our variations, to lending a serving to hand,” Walz mentioned, after thanking Harris for bringing again “pleasure” to politics.

“Donald Trump — he sees the world in another way. He doesn’t know the very first thing about service — as a result of he’s too busy serving himself,” he added.

Walz obtained a few of his strongest applause when he spoke about Trump as a convicted felony, eliciting chants of “lock him up” from the group, and when he mentioned he “can’t wait to debate” Vance.

“These guys are creepy and simply bizarre as hell,” Walz mentioned.