Democrats Harris, Walz kick off White House journey with Pennsylvania rally

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have appeared together for the first time as the Democratic Party's White House ticket at the start of a multi-day tour of swing states they hope to win in November.

Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and Walz, her pick for vice president, held a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a state seen as critical to their ability to beat Republican rival Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, in what is expected to be a close election.

"Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future," she said. "I'm here today because I've found such a leader, Governor Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota."

Speaking to a raucous crowd of more than 10,000 at Temple University, Harris described Walz's background as a former high school teacher and football coach, an Army National Guard veteran and a former congressman, before predicting that he would earn a new title in November: vice president of the United States.

"He's the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big," she said.

"I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket, and to help make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States," Walz said at the rally.

"These same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students, I took to Congress and the state capital, and now, Vice President Harris and I are running to take them to the White House," he added.

Walz also assailed Republican White House nominee Trump as being too selfish to serve Americans.

"Donald Trump — he sees the world differently. He doesn't know the first thing about service because he's too busy serving himself," Walz told the packed arena.

Harris also attacked Trump at the rally, saying, as an ex-prosecutor, "I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who scammed consumers, cheaters who broke the rules. So, hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type."

Pennsylvania, the site of their first rally, is seen as perhaps the most critical state in what is expected to be a close election between the Democrats and their Republican rivals.

Fundraising boon

Harris' selection of Walz as her running mate has been another fundraising boon for the Democratic presidential ticket.

Her campaign announced shortly before 6:30 pm [local time] that it has raised more than $20 million since the vice president unveiled the Minnesota governor as her running mate.

The Harris campaign has seen a surge in fundraising since she took over the top of the ticket, raising more than $310 million in July. Well over $200 million of that total came after Harris took over top billing from President Joe Biden on July 21.

Walz was elected to a Republican-leaning district in the US House of Representatives in 2006 and served 12 years before being elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and again in 2022.

He has pushed a progressive agenda that includes free school meals, goals for tackling climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and expanded paid leave for workers.

After their joint appearance in Philadelphia, Harris and Walz plan a multi-city tour of critical swing states including Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada.

Vance is doing a similar tour, with stops in Michigan and Wisconsin planned on Wednesday.