One day after Republican Sen. JD Vance’s appearance at a Georgia conservative fundraiser, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, returns to The Peach State on Tuesday for two major campaign rallies in Macon and Atlanta.
Although Walz visited Georgia in August during a two-day bus tour alongside Harris throughout several coastal and rural cities, this trip marks his first solo visit to the swing state since traveling on the campaign.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee’s appearance will serve as the kickoff to a new initiative targeting younger voters who have been left unsure about how to cast their ballots.
Walz appeared at a political event in Macon early Tuesday morning. According to a media advisory from the Harris-Walz campaign, he will immediately fly to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where he is scheduled to land at around 12:45 p.m.
From there, Walz will participate in political events throughout the city before flying to Ashville, North Carolina.
In front of a room of volunteers, Walz spoke about the importance of the roles Georgia campaign workers will play in the upcoming election.
“It’s about working together and each of us have a role in that,” said Walz. “You are the people in this room who can very likely make a difference in putting Kamala Harris as Madam President.”
He also spoke about the campaign’s stance on gun violence less than two weeks after the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia that killed 4 students and faculty members earlier this month.
“That is not just a fact of life … this violence across the country has got to end. Gun violence has got to end,” said Walz, referring to a comment Vance made one day after the shooting.
The short campaign stops come less than 24 hours after the Republican vice presidential pick appeared at the Cobb Galleria on Monday evening for a fundraising dinner held by the Georgia Faith & Freedom Coalition, one of the state’s leading evangelical organizations.
The event was the first time Vance, whose most recent visit marks his third time visiting the state as vice presidential nominee, had publicly appeared as Trump’s running mate at an event featuring Gov. Brian Kemp.
The Georgia political leader and former President Donald Trump, both popular among state Republicans, recently put their feud to the side as the state remains a battleground for the presidency.
During his speech, Vance discussed the impact that his Christian upbringing has had on his life and political issues, such as abortion restriction and crime, that he says greatly affect people of faith.
He also criticized Harris for what he considered to be a lack of efficient leadership in her vice presidential role under President Joe Biden.
“Everybody wants a prosperous economy, everybody wants a secure border, everybody wants to be able to walk their children down the city streets safely … without being accosted by violent criminals or by fentanyl brought in by Mexican drug cartels,” Vance said.
“On every single policy issue over the last three and a half years, Kamala Harris was a failure, and on every single policy issue from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump was a raging success.”
Georgia is one of several background states that have seen campaign stops from the vice presidential picks in an attempt to reach out to undecided voters. The state played a crucial role in the 2020 presidential election, and with early voting beginning on Oct. 15, the clock is ticking for the two parties to make their impact.
“It’s going to come down to a few states,” said Walz to Macon campaign volunteers. “And Georgia is probably going to be at the center of it.”
Rahul Bali contributed to this report.
