US vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has called on his Democratic Party to mobilize extensively before the election in November. “We have 76 days, that’s nothing. We’ll have time to sleep when we’re dead,” said the governor on Wednesday evening (local time) at the party convention in Chicago. In his speech, the 60-year-old formally accepted his nomination for the second highest state office: He spoke of the “honor of my life.”
Before presidential candidate Kamala Harris named the governor of Minnesota as her running mate two weeks ago, he was little known beyond his state. But with his down-to-earth and quick-witted manner, the former teacher, football coach, National Guardsman and congressman has already sparked a lot of enthusiasm in the party – an enthusiasm that he further fueled in Chicago.
“Coach Walz!” the 60-year-old was cheered on by the crowd, referring to his previous coaching work at a high school. Walz also used the language of American football in his 15-minute speech. He said of the election campaign against Republican Donald Trump: “We are one field goal behind. But we are on offense and we have the ball. (…) And, yes, we have the right team.”
Walz spent a large part of his speech praising Harris. As a former district attorney and attorney general in California, as a former senator and vice president, she “fought on the side of the American people” and always did so with “energy, passion and joy.” Harris will officially accept her nomination in a speech at the end of the party convention on Thursday.
In his speech, Walz also introduced himself to the electorate. The governor, who is particularly intended to appeal to voters in rural areas, described his origins from a small community in the midwestern state of Nebraska. In this environment, “you learn to take care of each other,” he said.
Later in Minnesota, his students and athletes encouraged him to run for the U.S. Congress: “They saw in me what I hoped to teach them: a dedication to the common good, an understanding that we are all in this together, and the belief that an individual can really make a difference for his fellow human beings.”
Walz accused former President Trump of spending “all day” “insulting people and blaming others.”
Before Walz, former President Bill Clinton had campaigned for Harris at the party convention. The Vice President had “the vision, the experience, the temperament and (…) the sheer joy to get things done.” While Harris wanted to solve people’s problems, Trump’s thoughts only revolved around himself.
However, Clinton warned his party against complacency: “You should never underestimate your opponent.” The Democrats have experienced an election unexpectedly “slipping away” from them more than once. Clinton’s wife Hillary was the clear favorite before the 2016 election and then narrowly lost to Trump.
But the party convention was not just serious political business on its third day, but also colorful entertainment. The highlights included musical performances by soul legend Stevie Wonder and R&B singer John Legend. Talk queen Oprah Winfrey also made a surprise appearance on stage. She praised Harris as a candidate who stands for “decency and respect” and “common sense.”
Meanwhile, Trump continued his angry attacks on Harris. At an appearance in the state of North Carolina, he called her the “most radical left-wing person” who has ever run for the US presidency. It was Trump’s first outdoor appearance since he was slightly injured in the ear by an assassin’s bullet in mid-July. The Republican presidential candidate gave his speech behind bulletproof glass.
Meanwhile, US media reported that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to drop out of the race on Friday and throw his support behind Trump. It is unclear whether this could benefit Trump. In a recent poll by “The Hill” magazine, Kennedy was at 8.7 percent nationwide. The son of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, is a spreader of conspiracy theories – which could scare off moderate voters.
