ASHEVILLE, NC – A little rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of rally-goers in Asheville, NC who braved the elements to hear Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for Vice President. Asheville was Walz’ final stop of the day after making campaign visits to Macon and Atlanta Georgia on National Voter Registration Day.
Walz opened his remarks by thanking the crowd of about 2,000 supporters gathered at Salvage Station and acknowledging that they could be somewhere else other than standing in the rain. He then drew a loud ovation as he wasted no time telling the crowd why Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump, must be defeated in November.
“Donald Trump has no plan for you,” Walz said. “He has no plan to improve your life. Kamala Harris has a plan for an opportunity economy.”
He then outlined some of Harris’ opportunity economy talking points, including helping middle class Americans buy homes, gain assistance with childcare and start small businesses. Walz also touched on the differences between what he and Harris call freedom as opposed to what that word means to Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
“We believe in the freedom to live your life the way you choose without government interference,” Walz said. “To those guys, freedom means that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office, your school library, and your bedroom. We don’t expect everyone to see the world the same way, and it’s pretty clear our opponents see the world very differently. I learned something really important serving in Congress. You can compromise without compromising your values.”
Walz also called out Vance for stating during a recent CNN interview that he is willing to “make up stories” in order to get media attention.
Vance stated that if he had to ‘create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what he would do’, Vance said to Dana Bash on the CNN show “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“We are used to them making up stories,” Walz said. “If they If they told people what they really stood for, no one would vote for them.”
Walz’ talked about the excitement of the vision Vice President Harris has for the future and drew a sharp contrast between that vision and the fear and negativity of the Trump/Vance ticket. He received one of the night’s loudest ovations of the evening when he repeated another one of Vance’s recent comments that school shootings were a “fact of life.”
“They can ban books but not assault weapons,” Walz said. “These guys run on fear. Fear is an incredible short-term motivator, but it doesn’t change behaviors. It’s important to know who they are. But what really inspires people is policies and a vision like Kamala Harris is bringing.”
Among those welcoming Walz to Asheville were the city’s Mayor Esther Manheimer and state representative Lindsay Prather, both of whom had high praise for the Harris/Walz ticket.
“I trust the people in this state to vote for the only qualified candidates in this race,” Manheimer said.
As Walz closed out his remarks, he talked about the historic nature of the upcoming election, and the clear choice all voters have to make.
“Cracks in the glass ceiling aren’t enough,” Walz said. We need to make sure that that glass ceiling is shattered, and Kamala Harris becomes our next president.”