Walz’s Pennsylvania Campaign Swing Underscores Challenges in the Battleground

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota connected Thursday capped 2 days of crisscrossing Pennsylvania, talking up Vice President Kamala Harris’s experience, taking shots astatine erstwhile President Donald J. Trump and making his present acquainted urgent pleas to voters that they combat for state with optimism.

“Look, it would beryllium easier if we didn’t person to bash this. It would beryllium easier if these guys wouldn’t undermine our system, if they wouldn’t prevarication astir elections, if they wouldn’t enactment women’s wellness astatine risk. But they are, truthful it’s a privilege for america to bash the fight,” helium said successful Erie, Pa., wherever helium stumped from a signifier astatine the borderline of Presque Isle Bay earlier hundreds of cheering supporters waving “Coach” and “Kamala” signs.

The quality was 1 of respective events that Mr. Walz utilized to blitz the section media airwaves and occurrence up Democratic volunteers with the Midwestern dada charm that his enactment is banking connected to assistance gully achromatic working-class voters. Mr. Walz, and his daughter, Hope, deed 3 cities successful counties that went for Mr. Trump successful 2016 — stung by fading American manufacturing and a hard economy.

The shooting this week astatine Apalachee High School successful Winder, Ga., added urgency to his connection astatine the Erie rally and astatine section Democratic offices, wherever helium stressed it was successful voters’ powerfulness to elite leaders consenting to walk gun-safety laws, tackle clime alteration and guarantee state successful wellness decisions.

“I accidental it arsenic a weapon owner; I accidental it arsenic a veteran; I accidental it arsenic a hunter: nary of the things we’re proposing infringes connected your Second Amendment right. But what does infringe upon this is our children going to schoolhouse and being killed,” helium said astatine a Harris-Walz tract bureau successful Erie. “It is unacceptable, and it doesn’t person to beryllium this way. So we extremity that with our votes. We extremity it with a imaginativeness of a amended America.”

Onstage later, helium recalled sitting with the parents of children killed successful the Sandy Hook shooting successful Connecticut erstwhile helium was inactive a subordinate of Congress and a cardholder of the National Rifle Association. “I deliberation astir it — today, my son, this week, started his elder twelvemonth of precocious school,” Mr. Walz said. “And it’s bittersweet for maine due to the fact that those killed astatine Sandy Hook would person been entering their elder year, too.”