BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. –- Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz pitched a vision for a stronger middle class to more than 1,500 adoring supporters inside Freedom High School on Saturday afternoon.
The Minnesota governor and former high school social studies teacher seemed right at home in a school gymnasium that felt at times like a pep rally for Democrats' campaign promises. He renewed the ticket's commitment to a larger child tax credit, increasing the tax break for entrepreneurs launching small businesses and building three million new housing units.
Just as importantly, he said, a Kamala Harris presidency would respect the personal lives of citizens and protect reproductive rights so Americans can make their own life-altering decisions.
"Mind your own damn business," Walz said to wild cheers. "You don't need me, and you certainly don't need Donald Trump or JD Vance, not even opining on what type of family you should have but actually trying to legislate what type of family you should have."
Walz might have drawn the loudest applause of the day when he took former President Trump and Vance, his running mate, to task for their seeming indifference to gun violence. Trump told supporters in January "we have to get over it" after expressing condolences following a school shooting in Iowa; Vance, meanwhile, said this month that school shootings are a "fact of life" because schools are soft targets for psychos looking to make headlines.
"You know what? Spend a little less time trying to ban books in our schools and try and ban assault weapons in our schools," said Walz, a gun owner and retired national guardsman.
Vance also was in eastern Pennsylvania on Saturday. He rallied supporters at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Bern Township, outside Reading — about 45 miles from Walz's appearance in the Bethlehem area.
Walz spent much of his 40-minute address on the offensive, attacking Trump, Vance and likeminded firebrand Republicans. The GOP is more focused on seizing power than in the best interests of the American public, Walz said. Just this week, Walz said, Vance led a Republican crowd in booing news that the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates.
"Who boos for lower interest rates?" Walz asked. "Venture capitalists, apparently. Because people who pay mortgages, people who want to get student loans, whatever it might be — they care about that."
That bulldog mentality remained even when Walz looked to build connections between his Minnesota roots and the Lehigh Valley. The North Star State, he noted, has some of the largest iron deposits in the world. The ore they mined came to Bethlehem Steel, which built the tanks that defeated Nazi Germany, he said.
"We got folks running as Republicans for governor that are proud to refer to themselves as Nazis," Walz said, referencing a growing scandal in Mark Robinson's campaign for North Carolina governor. 'Let's not pretend that there's a gradual difference between the folks that are running here."
Protesters repeatedly interrupted Walz's address, but reporters with LehighValleyNews.com could not make out what they were saying. At least five people were removed from the event, one of whom was carrying a Palestinian flag. Each time, the crowd would break into "U-S-A" chants to drown out the protesters. Walz usually continued his speech, at times shouting to be heard over the crowd's chants.
A spotlight on Latinos
While Walz was the keynote speaker for Saturday's event, he was joined on stage by two celebrities. Emmy-award winner Liza Colón-Zayas and Grammy-winner Anthony Ramos took the rostrum to stress the importance of Latinos getting involved in the election.
Colón-Zayas reminded the audience of the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico seven years ago and the muted response from the Trump administration. The former president's decision to block billions of dollars in aid to Puerto Rico exacerbated the destruction, leading to thousands of deaths on the island, she said. Trump even called Puerto Rico dirty and tried to trade it away, she said, citing a former Trump staffer.
Puerto Ricans and Latinos deserve a president who respects them and their contributions to America, she told the cheering crowd.
"We are growing this country every day in its prosperity. And we have more political sway in this country than ever before. And when we vote, we win," Colón-Zayas said.
Ramos cited his own past reluctance to get involved. It took him too long to recognize that voting and selecting your own leaders is a privilege that cannot be overlooked.
"For so long, I just felt like what I have to say doesn't matter. Like, I'm just one person. Like, who cares? Who cares about what I have to say?" he said.
"You matter!" a woman shouted from the audience.
"You matter!" Ramos agreed. "Say it again! You matter!"
The two were the latest VIPs the Harris campaign has brought to the Lehigh Valley in an effort to connect with the growing Hispanic community. Latino cabinet members such as Xavier Becerro and Miguel Cardona have made campaign appearances on behalf of the Democratic ticket this year, as has "The View" co-host Ana Navarro just this week.
Campaign officials said it's part of a deliberate effort to draw the Lehigh Valley's Latino population to the polling place. In addition to promoting policies that will assist working- and middle-class families, the campaign is looking to bring in proxies whose life experiences match those of the Latino population.
The political battleground
Political observers around the nation will be keeping a close eye on how that outreach could sway the outcome in the Lehigh Valley in November. The region is a critical battleground in a swing state, leading presidential campaigns to spend millions of dollars in political messaging here.
Northampton County in particular has proven to be an important bellwether. It’s one of the few counties in the country that’s backed the winning candidate in every election since 2008. Over the last 25 presidential races, it’s supported the winner 22 times.
“If you don’t win our district, you don’t win Pennsylvania. It’s that simple. It comes down to that.”Susan Wild
Local politicians drove that point home while addressing amped up Democrats ahead of Walz's comments.
“That is why Gov. Walz is here to look you in the eye and ask Northampton County for its vote. I am here to look you in the eye and ask for Northampton County’s vote,” County Executive Lamont McClure said to the crowd.
“If you don’t win our district, you don’t win Pennsylvania. It’s that simple. It comes down to that,” said U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.
Wild is in the midst of her own race in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The race is among the tightest in the nation and has been labeled as a political toss-up. She'll face state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, at the ballot box on Election Day on Nov. 5.
