The Vice President and her running mate traded issues, pitched solutions, and took jabs at their Nov. 5 opponents.

BY NIGEL THOMPSON ON AUGUST 08, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz make their first joint appearance at a rally in North Philly, outlining their vision for the future. (Screenshot of the rally’s video published on Kamala Harri’s Youtube channel)

An estimated 14,000 people packed Temple University’s Liacouras Center on Tuesday, Aug. 6 to see Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz make their first appearance together just 91 days before both will appear at the top of the Democratic ticket on Election Day.

For Walz, it was only earlier in the day he had been announced officially as Harris’ running mate, beating out Pennsylvania’s own Governor Josh Shapiro and a few others to pair with Harris.

Ever the good sport, Shapiro was there in North Philly on Tuesday to kick the rally off and warm the crowd up before it erupted as Harris and Walz took the stage.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Harris told the crowd in her opening remarks.

Just two weeks ago, the Vice President was thrust into the spotlight as President Joe Biden announced on a Sunday afternoon that he would not seek reelection in 2024. Biden followed his initial announcement by endorsing Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president and the party powers — and money — began to coalesce around and flow in record numbers towards Harris’ new start campaign. 

In her speech on Tuesday, Harris announced that Democratic delegates had finished voting and she was officially the nominee for president for the party in November. The delegates spent the last few days conducting a virtual roll call ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

A consistent message

What followed was a version of a speech Harris has given multiple times since Biden stepped aside as she lays out her own campaign message to appeal to voters. She called her and Walz “the underdogs” of the race.

“But we have the momentum, and I know what we’re up against,” Harris said.

As for what or who she’s up against, Harris pointed to her past as the District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California. She said she’s taken on and brought accountability to abusers, fraudsters, and other criminals.

“I know Donald Trump’s type,” Harris said after making the previous assertions.

But she was also careful not to make the race all about Trump, calling the race instead a “fight for the future.”

A future, Harris said, that offers affordable housing, health care, and paid leave for workers. An economy where she said “everyone can own a home, start a business, and build wealth.” Harris also said she wants to bring down prices “that are still too high.”

In other words — and this phrase has been used by Harris and her stumpers many times in the last two weeks — a future where people “can not just get by, but get ahead.” Towards the end of her speech, Harris also said she’d make strengthening the middle class her “defining goal” when president.

Promoting policy

Harris also spoke of defending “fundamental freedoms” in her speech at the Liacouras Center.

“In this moment, we are witnessing a full-on attack against hard-fought, hard-won freedoms, and rights,” she said of Republican efforts to eliminate things like reproductive rights and voting rights.

On reproductive rights, Harris said with the help of a Democratic-controlled Congress she would pass and sign a reproductive freedom law before invoking another campaign catchphrase that was chanted regularly during her speech in the arena — “We’re not going back!”

For voting rights, Harris said she would pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, requiring certain jurisdictions to pass federal checks before enacting voting laws, and the Freedom to Vote Act, which greatly expands voter registration in the U.S.

The last major legislative issue Harris discussed was gun safety and said she would pass common sense gun laws like universal background checks for all firearm purchases, red flag laws, and an assault rifle ban.

Getting to know Governor Tim Walz

Harris ended her speech talking big of her running mate, telling a little of his story. Walz was born in rural Nebraska and grew up working on a farm. He eventually moved to Minnesota with his wife and both went to work in schools — Walz as a social studies teacher. He would also coach linebackers as part of the staff of the high school football team.

“Coach Walz,” was a nickname Harris used a lot in the pair’s first appearance on stage together in North Philadelphia.

“Tim Walz was the kind of teacher and mentor that everyone in America dreams of having,” she said. “And that every kid deserves.”

She said Walz “makes people feel like they belong and gets people to dream big.”

“That’s the type of Vice President America deserves,” Harris said before passing him the microphone.

In his speech, Walz also pointed to his running mate’s record from DA to Vice President.

“She does it all with a sense of joy,” he said.

He then went into his upbringing in Nebraska, and spoke of his parents’ early lesson of working for “common good,” before contrasting that with Trump.

Walz called out Trump’s COVID response and pointed to data that crime was up in the U.S. under President Trump. 

“That’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” Walz quipped to laughs from the crowd.

He was also quick to return to some earlier attack points against Trump and running mate J.D. Vance, calling both “creepy” and “weird.” 

The new Vice Presidential candidate also called out Project 2025, a transition plan put out by the conservative Heritage Foundation that would consolidate U.S. government power under the president should Trump be elected. It’s been a major attack point for Democrats on the campaign trail and Trump has attempted to distance himself from it despite many of his ex-aides having contributed to the plan. 

As for Vance, Walz said he “can’t wait” to debate him and appealed to the crowd for help in the final 91 days of the campaign to see him and Harris through the finish line.

“We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said of the strategy until November 5.