August 7, 2024, presidential campaign news | CNN Politics (2024)

Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally on August 7.

Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, refused to drop out of his congressional race in 2005 despite an Army National Guard announcement of a possible deployment, according to a statement from his campaign at the time.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, accused Walz of ducking service in Iraq when he left the guard and ran for Congress in 2005.

Walz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005. He launched a campaign for Congress in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District that year and was elected in November 2006.

Walz filedpaperworkwith the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for Congress on February 10, 2005.The next month, after the guard announced a possible deployment to Iraq within two years,Walz’s campaign issued a statement saying he intended to stay in the race.

Walz retired from the Army National Guard in May 2005, according to the Minnesota National Guard.Service members often submit their paperwork for retirement months before their retirement date. It’s unclear when Walz submitted his papers for retirement.

In a2009 interviewfor the Library of Congress, Tim Walz said he left the Army National Guard to focus full time on running for Congress, citing concerns about trying to serve at the same time and the Hatch Act, which limits political activities for federal employees.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond when asked about when Walzsubmitted his retirement paperwork.

This post was updated with excerpts from a 2009 interview with Tim Walz.

Kamala Harris during a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan, US, on August 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris saw – and heard – at least a flavor of the challenges facing her candidacy in Michigan.

Her Wednesday evening remarks in Detroit were interrupted by a small group of about half a dozen protestors who persistently chanted what appeared to be a pro-Palestinian message.

“Because we believe in democracy, everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now,” she responded, repeating a refrain she has previously used at events in response to protesters.

She then tried to talk over the protests as the crowd chanted: “Kamala! Kamala!”

While railing against her rival’s agenda, Harris said, “if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

After a few minutes, the protesters were led out of the venue, where thousands had gathered to see Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

This is the latest reminder of the challenges facing Harris in Michigan. Her rally tonight is about 15 minutes from Dearborn, home to one of the largest Muslim and Arab-American communities in the country. Organizers of the uncommitted movement said at a press conference earlier in the day that there were no plans currently underway for a meeting with Harris while she’s in Michigan.

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz deplane ahead of a rally at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on August 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris is capitalizing on the trappings of office — and the power of imagery — at a rally tonight in Detroit that her advisers say is the largest of the campaign so far.

Air Force Two slowly pulled into view of a crowded airport hanger, with strains of Beyoncé’s “Run the World” filling the air. Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, stepped off the plane to the song of “Freedom.”

For Democrats, it was a level of enthusiasm not seen for years at campaign rallies.

It was, in fact, taking a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook, particularly by using the magnificence of Air Force Two as a backdrop. The former president held countless rallies across the country using (a slightly larger) Air Force One.

To pull off this picture-perfect moment on an August day took the sweating sacrifice of thousands of supporters, many of whom had been waiting for more than six hours by the time Harris arrived. Several people fainted or passed out, with chants of “medic, medic” sounding throughout the evening.

A few moments after Harris took the stage, another fan fell.

“We need a medic,” Harris said. “Let’s all take care of each other.”

Campaign staffers rushed to pass out water and snacks as the political speeches wore on.

Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized her plans to help the middle class if she is elected to the White House — contrasting her vision with the policies of former President Donald Trump.

Attacking Trump, Harris said the former president “intends to take our nation backward” and hurt the middle class with policies like those outlined in Project 2025. Trump has made clear he wants little to do with the conservative blueprint and has said he doesn’t know who is behind it.

But, six of his former Cabinet secretaries helped write or collaborated on the 900-page playbook for a second Trump term published by the Heritage Foundation.

Harris also argued that if Trump is elected he will give tax breaks to big corporations and end the Affordable Care Act.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working families first,” she said. “When the middle class is strong, America is strong.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Romulus, Michigan, on August 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris said her campaign is “not just about us versus Donald Trump.”

She said her campaign’s vision is focused on the future, and accused Trump’s of focusing on the past.

Harris went on to promise rights for labor unions, retirement for senior citizens and affordable housing and childcare as well as affordable healthcare.

“We fight for the future,” Harris said, with the audience later chanting “we’re not going back.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a campaign rally at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on August 7.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer welcomed fellow midwestern Gov. Tim Walz to Detroit on Wednesday, praising Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate selection during the Democratic ticket’s first joint rally in Michigan.

In addition to Walz being a fellow governor in the Great Lakes region and a “good Midwesterner,” Whitmer said “Tim and I get along because we both lead according to a three part strategy — get sh*t done.”

The Michigan Democrat said Walz has been an “incredibly successful governor,” in large part because he “works across the aisle to build consensus,” and noted the Minnesota Democrat’s achievements in passing infrastructure legislation, cutting taxes, providing free school lunches and protecting public safety.

“A lot of that sounds familiar. It’s because Tim and I have been trying to outdo one another on all these fronts for the last couple of years,” she joked.

Whitmer repeatedly ruled herself out of Harris’ recent running mate search, saying she intends to serve out her term through 2026.

She and Walz, along with fellow Midwestern Govs. Tony Evers of Wisconsin and JB Pritzker of Illinois, issued endorsem*nts for Harris nearly in unison the day after President Joe Biden exited the race, in a signal of Democratic support for Harris in the “blue wall” of the upper Midwest.

“We need a strong woman in the White House, and it’s about damn time. And a good man by her side in vice president Tim Walz,” Whitmer said.

Democratic vice presidential pick Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally in Romulus, Michigan, on August 7.

Democratic vice presidential pick Gov. Tim Walz argued that the upcoming election in November is about determining the direction of the country.

“This election is about what direction this country’s going to go in,” he said at a rally in Michigan, adding that Donald Trump would pull the country backward.

Walz claimed Trump knows what Project 2025 is and what it will do. The former president has denied that he had anything to do with the plan and said he didn’t know who was behind it.

He also argued that if given another term, Trump would do things like “rig the economy for the ultra-wealthy” and ban abortion.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says the students he taught while he was a football coach and social studies teacher encouraged him to run for office.

“I never thought much about it,” Walz said referring to the idea of running for Congress. “They saw in me what I hoped to instill in them, a commitment to the common good.”

Speaking at a rally in Michigan Wednesday, Walz said that while working in Congress, he learned how to “compromise without compromising my values,” and “how to work across the aisle to get good things done for people.”

Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally in Romulus, Michigan, near Detroit, on August 7.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz is back on the campaign trail Wednesday, pitching Vice President Kamala Harris as the next president.

The newly-minted running mate was speaking ahead of Harris in Detroit. Walz drew a comparison between Harris and Donald Trump, saying the former president and his running mate, JD Vance, “tried to steal the joy from this country.”

“Our next president brings the joy, she emanates the joy,” he said, before talking abouthis upbringing in a small Nebraska town.

“I know a little bit something about that commitment to people,” he said, referring to what he said was Harris’ commitment to Americans.

Earlier on Wednesday, Harris and Walz were greeted by cheers from the crowd on the tarmac in Michigan as they stepped off Air Force Two. They traveled to Michigan after a campaign stop in Wisconsin earlier in the day. It’s all part of a blitz around battleground states as candidates on both sides sprint to Election Day.

In the first few minutes of his speech in Michigan, Walz called for a medic to come help someone in the crowd. He spotted the person and asked for someone to give them water.

“Thank you for caring for your neighbors. Thank you for showing them what Michigan does,” he said before continuing.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain praised Vice President Kamala Harris’s selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate during the Democratic ticket’s joint campaign rally in Michigan on Wednesday, hailing the newly minted ticket as a “Democratic dynamic duo.”

He acknowledged on Wednesday that his union was “loud” in advocating for Walz to be on the ticket, telling the crowd of thousands of Michigan voters, including several UAW members, “he’s one of us.”

“A working-class guy with working-class values. He’s a teacher, a coach, a governor. He’s a proud union member. And he has always put the working class first,” he said.

He praised Harris’s record, saying, “You know where Kamala Harris was during the GM strike in 2019? On the picket line standing shoulder-to-shoulder with autoworkers.” The UAW International Executive Board voted to formally endorse Harris’ candidacy at the end of last month.

Meanwhile, Fain sharply criticized former President Donald Trump, whom he has a history of trading barbs with, proclaiming, “Every time Donald Trump gets a chance, he trashes our union and he trashes the working class. He comes to Michigan … he talks about how he’s going to bring back the auto industry. Let me tell you something, Donald Trump doesn’t know sh*t about the auto industry.”

Fain criticized Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, with characteristically sharp language, calling the former president “a scab” and the Ohio senator “a vulture.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes questions from reporters at a campaign event in Aurora, Colorado, on May 19.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualified for the ballot in New Jersey on Wednesday, the New Jersey Secretary of State ruled, after defeating a challenge to his ballot petition from a local elections attorney.

New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way ruled on Wednesday to accept Kennedy’s ballot access petition, rejecting a challenge from attorney Scott Salmon arguing Kennedy violated the state’s “Sore Loser Law,” which prevents candidates who ran for office in a primary from seeking that same office in a general election as an independent candidate.

In the ruling, Way said she believed the Sore Loser Law was inapplicable to Kennedy’s petition because Kennedy — who initially launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat seeking to challenge President Joe Biden in the primary — did not file a ballot petition for the state’s primary or conduct a write-in campaign in the state.

Way wrote that in siding against Salmon, she would accept Kennedy’s nominating petition to appear on November’s ballot in New Jersey.

In a statement to CNN, Salmon said his challenge of Kennedy’s petition helped clarify the limits of the Sore Loser Law in the state, which will benefit his work in future election cases.

Including New Jersey, Kennedy qualified for the ballot in 15 states and is eligible to receive 172 electoral college votes.

Republicans areattacking Tim Walz’s responseto unrest in Minneapolis in 2020, but at the time,then-President Donald Trumpsaid he “fully” agreed with how the Minnesota governor handled rioting in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, undercutting a key line of GOP attack this week after Walz was named Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate.

The call was led by Trump, who was joined by then-Attorney General Bill Barr, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper,and included a series of governors as protests across the country, some of which devolved into violent rioting, were breaking out following the police killing of Floyd on May 25.

Details from the call, during which Trump implored governors across the country to“dominate” protesters, have previously been reported, and CNNpublished the call’s full transcriptthe day it happened in 2020.

It’s not uncommon for even the most bitter of political rivals to offer tempered praise toward one another in the aftermath of a natural disaster or serious nationwide crisis – especially ones that require cooperation in responses between state and federal governments.

But more than four years later, Trump’s praise for Walz takes on new meaning as the GOP nominee and his allies have sought to jolt Americans’ memories of the nationwide unrest that summer, linking Walz to pictures of Minneapolis engulfed in flames and the aftermath of the destruction.

Read more.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited the Harris campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, where he rallied staffers working on the campaign that he recently joined and thanked them for their work.

Walz urged aides to “feel that excitement” and promised “we’re gonna win this” in a video posted to his social media. While shaking hands with one staffer, who yelled “let’s do this,” Walz said “we’re doing it, it’s on.”

The video features campaign staff chanting “let’s go coach,” a nod to his previous work as a high school football coach. In another nod to his past, Walz likened the campaign to high school football, telling one staffer in the video that “it’s Friday night lights.”

President JoeBidenhas tasked his team with coming up with an agenda for his final six months in office, defining key priorities for the administration as he looks to secure a one-term legacy – including a robust schedule on the world stage.

On a call with political appointees across agencies Wednesday afternoon, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients laid out four main pillars forBiden’s team to execute in a lame duck period, according to audio of the call obtained by CNN.

The four pillars include:

On the fourth point, national security adviser Jake Sullivan suggestedBidenwould keep a busy schedule: “You can expect to see very busy months of activity, of summits and trips to ensure that we do everything we can to leave it on the field,” Sullivan said, adding that there would be “high-level summits both here and abroad.”

But before that, Sullivan saidBiden’s most urgent priority “is to avoid escalation into a larger war in the Middle East and to deliver the ceasefire and hostage deal that he’s worked so hard to deliver.”

Zients told the team thatBidenencouraged his top lieutenants to form a plan “to finish as strong as we started” on the Sunday that he announced he would not seek a second term.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris quieted chants from audience members at her rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday calling on former President Donald Trump to be jailed by saying “the courts are going to handle that part” and insisting Democrats focus on defeating Trump in November’s election.

Harris outlined her record as a prosecutor and district attorney in California, and contrasted it with Trump’s legal troubles, including being found guilty on felony charges of falsifying business records and losing a civil suit to E. Jean Carroll, who accused her of sexual assault.

“I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said, prompting loud cheers from the audience. “In fact, I’ve been dealing with people like that my whole career.”

As the cheers died down, some audience members could be heard chanting “lock him up.” In response, Harris interrupted the chants to clarify that she’s focused on defeating Trump in the upcoming election and insisted Trump’s legal troubles be handled independently.

Some context: The Wisconsin rally is not the first time Democratic voters have chanted “lock him up” at campaign rallies. Hundreds of voters joined in the chant during the Harris rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The chant is an inversion of the pledge Trump made during his 2016 presidential campaign to put then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in jail, which was embraced by supporters at his rallies.

Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attend a campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 7.

Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her new running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to Wisconsin voters at a rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday, playing up his Midwestern roots and stressing the importance of Wisconsin in Democrats’ path to victory.

Addressing a crowd of thousands at an outdoor venue on the outskirts of the small Wisconsin town, Harris and Walz both strongly attacked former President Donald Trump while presenting a contrast between their values and those of the Republican ticket.

Walz spoke ahead of Harris and highlighted his roots in nearby Minnesota, his record of working with Republicans as a member of Congress and his military service, noting “I proudly wore the uniform of this nation.”

“Are there Minnesotans in the house today?” Walz asked, prompting a sizable cheer.

People attend a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin,on August 7.

Walz jokingly boasted to the Eau Claire crowd that he knew how to pronounce the name of the town, a quip some locals in the audience responded to with applause.

Harris similarly laid out Walz’s ties to the Midwest, while often referring to him as “coach,” a nod to his past as a high school football coach. In response, the crowd chanted “coach.” Minutes later, the crowd chanted “VP Walz” after Harris referred to Walz as “the next vice president.”

She also made clear the importance of Wisconsin in the Democrats’ path to victory in November.

The highly enthusiastic crowd maintained energy throughout the afternoon, buoyed by a performance from native Eau Claire band Bon Iver. The crowd regularly broke out in spontaneous cheers egging on her remarks.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. JD Vance.

Donald Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance said he would debate Vice President Kamala Harris if she wanted to next week, despite Vance being the bottom of the GOP ticket and Harris being the top of the Democratic ticket.

At a campaign event in Wisconsin, Vance also falsely suggested Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz weren’t already the Democratic nominees for president and vice president and that there could be different people in those roles.

The DNC announced on Tuesday that Harris and Walz have officially been certified as the Democratic Party’s nominees for president and vice president.

“But look, if Kamala Harris wants to honor her commitment and debate on August 13, let’s do it. I’m all game,” Vance said.

Harris had previously accepted CBS’ offer to participate in a vice-presidential debate on August 13 before President Joe Biden suspended his campaign and endorsed Harris for president.

Harris is now saying she will honor the commitment Biden made to debate former President Donald Trump in September at a debate hosted by ABC News, but Trump has since backed out of that debate and is trying to propose a new debate hosted by Fox News.

Harris has not agreed to the new debate hosted by Fox.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday he doesn’t have confidence there will be a peaceful transition of power if former President Donald Trump loses in November. He pointed to comments from the Republican nominee suggesting the only way he’d lose is if the election is stolen from him.

Earlier this year, Trump warned that if he lost the 2024 election it would be a “bloodbath” for the US auto industry and the country — comments Biden and his campaign quickly leapt on, claiming the former president was inciting political violence.

Biden also warned that Trump was preparing to challenge the election results again in November as he did in 2020, including by putting in place sympathetic local election officials.

The full Biden interview is expected to air on CBS Sunday morning.

Democratic Senate candidate RubenGallegoholds a press conference after voting at South Phoenix Missionary Baptist Church during the Arizona state primary election in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 30.

Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War combat veteran, on Wednesday defended Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz against JD Vance’s accusations that Walz had engaged in “stolen valor” and ducked service in Iraq.

“Stolen valor is very, very serious charge. The vice presidential nominee, someone who I served with, someone who is a veteran, and was the highest ranking… Army-enlisted man to ever serve in Congress, has never claimed anything of that nature,” Gallego told reporters.

Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2005, said, “You know, war is tough. I had some men that decided not to go to war. They had the option. They decided not to take it, and you know, for a lot of them, I don’t blame them.”

“Gov. Walz served his country honorably. And without a doubt, you know he would be an asset as vice president, especially with veterans,” he said.

Walz had left the Army National Guardafter 24 years and ran for Congress in 2005, retiring two months before his unit received alert orders to deploy to Iraq.

Gallego, who had pushed for Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly to be Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick, acknowledged that he was “disappointed” Kelly wasn’t selected, but said Walz would be able to represent the working class of the military community and is “still a great pick.”

Organizers for the uncommitted movement said Wednesday that a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris while she is in Michigan is not currently in the works.

Asked by CNN if there had been any specific engagement with Harris’ team related to her trip to Detroit, Abbas Alawieh, a delegate for the movement at the Democratic National Convention, said he couldn’t speak to details of engagement.

Pressed on if there is a meeting in the works for Thursday, Alawieh responded, “no, there’s no meeting in the works for tomorrow.”

Harris will arrive in Michigan later on Wednesday to hold a rally in Detroit with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. She’s scheduled to hold another campaign event in the state on Thursday.

Alawieh and other members of the uncommitted movement have said that since Harris became the party’s presumptive nominee, they have been encouraged by “initial signals” by Harris’ team and others in the party to an “openness” to engage on their demands.

The group has requested a meeting with Harris, as well as speaking time at the Democratic National Convention and language in the party platform supportive of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel.

Making the group’s request clear, Alawieh said “if Vice President Harris embraces an arms embargo, we will drop everything we’re doing, endorse Vice President Harris and make sure that we proactively encourage the voters who have believed in this movement to vote for Vice President Harris.”

Supporters of former President Donald Trump are calling attention to a new Minnesota law requiring public schools to stock menstrual products in both their girls and boys bathrooms in an effort to paint Gov. Tim Walz as a far-left liberal for accommodating transgender students.

Walz, whom Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Tuesday as her running mate, signed the bill into law last year. It took effect January 1 and mandates that school districts and charter schools provide free menstrual products in all restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12. The measure has led some in the Trump camp to label Walz “Tampon Tim.”

In a state House committee hearing last year, the bill’s sponsor, state Democratic Rep. Sandra Feist, urged her fellow lawmakers to reject an amendment from a Republican colleague that would have inserted the word “female” in the bill.

Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, called Walz a “radical” on Fox News Tuesday, adding that his support for such policies is dangerous for women’s health.

“As a woman, I think there is no greater threat to our health than leaders who supportgender-transition surgeries for young minors, who support putting tampons in men’s bathrooms in public schools,” Leavitt said. “Those are radical policies that Tim Walz supports. He actually signed a bill to do that.”

The online brouhaha led Hillary Clinton, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, to clap back, posting on X: “How nice of the Trump camp to help publicize Gov. Tim Walz’s compassionate and common-sense policy of providing free menstrual products to students in Minnesota public schools! Let’s do this everywhere.” Clinton included an image of Walz’s face on a tampon box that was posted on X by Chaya Raichik, who created the far-right site “Libs of TikTok.”

Walz has taken several steps to protect transgender Minnesotans. Last year, he signed an executive orderthat directed Minnesota agencies to do whatever they could to protect and support Minnesotans seeking gender-affirming health care services. He also signed“trans refuge”legislation thatsafeguarded access to such careandanother lawthat banned conversion therapy, adiscredited practicethat aims to change someone’s understanding of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

–CNN’s Jen Christensen contributed to this story.

The White House pushed back against comments from Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, engaged in “stolen valor” by touting his military service.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday that Walz’s “record speaks for itself.”

Earlier Wednesday, Vance stepped up his attackson Walz’sportrayal of his military career,accusing him without evidence of ducking service to Iraq when he left the Army National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005.

The attacks on Walz’s military record are part of the race from both parties to define the relatively unknown governor after hewas tapped Tuesdayas Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Walz’s 24-year military service is one of several facets of his background that appeal to voters that the Harris campaign is trying to reach with his selection.

Some more context: CNN’s Jeremy Herb and Haley Britzky reported that Walz retired from the Army National Guard in May 2005, according to the Minnesota National Guard. Typically, service members need to submit papers several months before they can retire.A National Guardarticleon his unit’s deployment states that they received alert orders to deploy to Iraq in July 2005, two months after Walz retired.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz gestures during a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 7.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz said that as a Minnesotan, he doesn’t “shy away from challenges.”

He said the former president “weakens our country to strengthen his own hands. He mocks our laws. He sows chaos and division amongst the people, and that’s to say nothing of the job he did as president.”

Walz also went on to criticize Trump’s record on the economy, health care and education.

“I don’t need you telling me about our health care. I don’t need you telling us who we love. And I sure as hell don’t need you telling us what books we’re going to read,” he said to an animated crowd.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday — key states on the path to the presidency.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance also held events in both states today, underscoring the importance of reaching voters there. Harris is expected to be back in Michigan tomorrow.

Donald Trump won both of those states eight years ago but they have vexed Republicans ever since.

Along with Pennsylvania, Trump’s stunning 2016 victories in Michigan and Wisconsin produced a seismic crack in the so-called blue wall of states Democrats had relied on in every election going back to 1992. Trump’s particular success with blue-collar voters gave Republicans optimism for a political realignment that could turn the Rust Belt red for the foreseeable future.

Instead, Republicans have struggled to replicate Trump’s initial success in subsequent elections, including in 2020 when Biden narrowly won all three states en route to victory. Democrats in that time also took over the governors’ offices in Michigan and Wisconsin andflipped a Senate seat in Pennsylvaniain 2022 which proved crucial to maintaining control of the chamber.

In both states, efforts to subvert the 2020 election — including byenlisting fake electors— have also roiled Republican politics, at times aided by Trump.

Still, gone are the days when Democrats could comfortably count on these states to deliver in national elections. Biden won Michigan in 2020 by more than 150,000 votes. The margin was much tighter in Wisconsin, where he came out ahead by about 21,000 votes — a victory of about 0.7 percentage points.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said he doesn’t plan on calling Vice President Kamala Harris as “Kamabla,” like former President Donald Trump has in multiple recent social media posts.

“Look, I think obviously the president loves to give people nicknames and I think that he’s going to keep on doing that. I would be shocked if it’s the last nickname he gives her before the end of the election,” Vance said in response to a question from CNN as he spoke to reporters on the tarmac next to his plane.

Vance also reacted to Harris’ campaign raising$36 million in the 24 hours since Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

“Obviously, Democrats are going to raise a lot of money because they stand up for Wall Street, they stand up for the big banks, and I’m not shocked you’re going to have a lot of big money donors coming in for the Kamala Harris campaign. She was their preferred candidate,” Vance said.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivers remarks at a campaign event, on August 7, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz opened up a campaign event Wednesday in swing state Wisconsin by acknowledging Gov. Tony Evers, who he called “the kindest human being,” as well as the state attorney general Josh Kaul and state superintendent Jill Underly.

He went on to thank those attending the event in Eau Claire, noting that they came “for one beautiful simple reason: You love this country and this democracy.”

Gov. Tim Walz, left, and Sen. JD Vance.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said Wednesday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz calledhim back on Tuesday evening and left him a voicemail, but the two men have not spoken yet.

“It was just a, ‘Hey, thanks for calling, appreciate it, look forward to the debate,’ etcetera,” Vance said when asked what Walz said in his voicemail.

Vance was asked whether holding campaign events in the same cities as Vice President Kamala Harris this week was an effective strategy.Vance held an event on Tuesday in Philadelphia ahead of Harris’ event in the city and, on Wednesday, Harris and Vance both had events scheduled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Vance said one factor his team considered was that local media was going to cover Harris’ trip and that they were looking to have a “counter-narrative.”

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance speaks at a campaign event on August 7, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance slammed Vice President Kamala Harris in remarks in Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Vance mentioned that he exited his plane and walked straight over to Air Force Two, which had landed at the same airport just a few minutes before, earlier in the day. Both Vance and Harris are holding rallies in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, today.

Vance also said he wants to make more things in America, including energy and food.

His remarks are taking place at Wollard International, which manufactures both military and commercial belt loaders and tow tractors, as well as other airline equipment.His wife, Usha Vance, was also in attendance.

Kamala Harris’ campaign is highlighting its organization in the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michiganthat will be key to its electoral map in November, pointing to Harris’ new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as an asset in rural areas of these states.

As Harris and Walz continue their battleground blitz in Wisconsin on Wednesday, the campaign pointed to its growing infrastructure, including more than 600 coordinated staff across those three critical states, with another 150 staffers joining in the coming weeks, Harris-Walz battleground states director Dan Kanninen said in a memo Wednesday.

By the numbers:

And as voters get to know Walz, Kanninen pointed to his record and biography: “As a governor, congressman, football coach, veteran, and high school teacher, Walz has championed working families his entire life,” he said, echoing Harris’ introduction in Philadelphia.

Kanninen highlighted Walz’s experience as a congressman from a red district and specifically noted that he “consistently outperformed national Democrats in his House district, including in counties that have supported Trump, offering a blueprint for how to cut margins in rural areas across the country.”

He suggested that the campaign will focus Walz’s time and efforts in messaging to rural voters: “Our campaign will continue to go everywhere, and Governor Walz will be a key messenger in these rural areas where we’re focused on limiting Republicans’ margins.”

Republican vice presidential nominee SenatorJDVanceholds a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Donald Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance stepped up his attacks on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’sportrayal of his military career,accusing him without of evidence of ducking service to Iraq when he left the Army National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005.

While Walz retired two months before his unit received alert orders to deploy to Iraq,the attacks on Walz’s military record are part of the race from both parties to define the relatively unknown governor after he was tapped Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Walz’s 24-year military service is one of several facets of his background that appeal to voters that the Harris campaign is trying to reach with his selection — and that Republicans are trying to blunt by painting him as an out-of-touch liberal.

Walz and Vance, the two VP candidates who are likely to square off in a debate this fall, are both military veterans, unlike their running mates.Walz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005. He launched a campaign for Congress in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District that year and was elected in November 2006.

At a campaign stop in Michigan Wednesday, Vance accused Walz of abandoning his unit before they deployed to Iraq in 2006.

“When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do and I did it honorably and I’m very proud of that service. When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him,” Vance said.

Walz retired from the Army National Guard in May 2005, according to the Minnesota National Guard. Typically, service members need to submit papers several months before they can retire.

A National Guardarticleon his unit’s deployment states that they received alert orders to deploy to Iraq in July 2005, two months after Walz retired. The unitfirst mobilized in the fall of 2005 to Camp Shelby Mississippi to prepare for deployment, according tothe unit’s history, and then deployed inMarch 2006for 22 months, which the Guard said was the longest continuous deployment of any military unit duringUSoperations in Iraq.

Walz filedpaperworkwith the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for Congress on February 10, 2005.

Keep reading about Vance’s attacks against Walz’s military record.

After touching down in Wisconsin for a campaign event, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance exited his plane and walked straight over to Air Force Two, which had landed at the same airport just a few minutes before.

Vance returned after several minutes and talked to reporters gathered near his aircraft.

“I just wanted to check out my future plane,” Vance said.

The senator said he did not speak to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both Harris and Vance are holding campaign events this afternoon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Former President Donald Trump, left, and Vice president Kamala Harris.

A CNNPollofPolls average of nationalpolling finds a close general election race with no clear leader between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Trump currently holds 49% support in the average of five recentpolls testing the matchup, while Harris holds 48%.

The latestPollofPolls includes anNPR/PBS News/Maristpollreleased Tuesday that also finds no clear leader in a head-to-head matchup between the candidates, with Harris taking 51% and Trump taking 48% among registered voters nationally.

The NPR/PBS/Maristpollfinds that Americans trust Harris over Trump to handle the issue of abortion (56% say Harris would do a better job, compared with 41% Trump) and the preservation of democracy (53% say Harris, 46% Trump). Americans prefer Trump on immigration (52% say Trump would better handle the issue, 46% Harris), with a closer split on who would better handle the economy (51% say Trump would be better, 48% Harris).

More about the poll: TheCNN PollofPolls includes the five most recent nationalpolls measuring the views of registered or likely voters in a 2024 presidential general election between Harris and Trump.

Attendees wait for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during a campaign rally in Eau Claire,Wisconsin, on August 7.

Less than hour before Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are set to speak at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, supporters eagerly gathered to see the new Democratic ticket’s first appearance in the key battleground state.

As hundreds of Harris supporters braved the heat at an outdoor venue in Eau Claire, staff passed out waters to attendees. But spirits remained high in anticipation of their first glimpse of Walz since he joined the ticket.

“I’m just really pumped for education. I am pumped that Tim Walz is onthe ticket as a former educator. We just need to do great thingsfor our kids. Get them reading,get them educated, all the things,” a voter told CNN.

The audience regularly erupted in cheers as staff gave timing updates. At one point, an eagle flew over the crowd, prompting loud cheers from those gathered.

Outside the venue, a line of cars entering the event stretched over half a mile outside the venue.

The remarks are expected to begin around 1:20 p.m. CT (2:20 p.m. ET).

CNN’s Kimberly Berryman and Eva McKend contributed reporting to this post.

Standing in the shadow of Dr. Martin Luther King’s grave, African American church leaders said their congregations are excited about Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.

Nearly a dozen faith leaders were at the news conference that took place at Dr. Martin Luther King National Park in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood.

“We are standing here today because democracy delivered us, democracy has been our deliverer, and in Donald Trump’s America democracy is not a threat to us — democracy is a threat for him,” Rev. Shanan Jones, who also preached at Ebenezer and is now the President of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta said.

Bishop Reginald Jackson, the leader of over 500 African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches in Georgia and who worked on previous efforts to electPresident Joe Biden, said the president made a “very, very difficult decision” to not seek reelection, but it was a decision that “put what was best for the nation ahead of himself.”

Since Vice President Harris has taken over the top of the ticket, the pastors said their congregations have found new energy.

The two vice presidential candidates have now been chosen and they are hitting the campaign trail today in key battleground states.

Here’s a brief breakdown about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance:

Tim Walz is in his second term as Minnesota governor and was most recently chair of the Democratic Governors Association. A onetime high school teacher and football coach who served in the Army National Guard, Walz later spent 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative-leaning rural district in southern Minnesota. Walz had been an outspoken defender of Joe Biden, but when the president dropped out, he endorsed Harris and has since emerged as a reliable, energetic and cutting advocate for the campaign.

JD Vance was elected to the US Senate from Ohio in 2022 after receiving a boost from former President Donald Trump in a contentious Republican primary. A venture capitalist and the author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance had once been a key voice in the “Never Trump” movement during the 2016 election. But he later became a leading MAGA proponent, courting the former president at meetings in Mar-a-Lago and through appearances on Fox News.

Harris speaks during the rally, introducing Walz to supporters, on August 6.

The Harris-Walz campaign raised $36 million in the 24 hours since Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, a campaign official said.

Harris made her selection public on Tuesday before the pair appeared for the first time together at an event in Philadelphia.

At that rally, Walz portrayed himself as both a folksy Midwestern everyman and an attack dog for Harris.

The Republican Party’s media allies are yet again struggling to coalesce around a single attack on the Democratic ticket.

In the hours since Kamala Harristapped Tim Walzas her running mate, top figures in right-wing media have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the Minnesota governor as they race to define him, seeking to tarnish the Midwesterner’s image with only 90 days to go before Election Day.

On Tuesday, Walz was portrayed in a harsh light as a left-wing “radical” who is supposedly out of touch with everyday Americans; he was criticized as a governor who allowed Black Lives Matter protesters to riot, engage in violence, and burn Minnesota’s cities without consequence; and was accused of being “groomed by the Chinese” after he spent his honeymoon in China.

Fox News, naturally, led the charge, with the right-wing network devotingsegmentaftersegmentto assailing Walz and his character.

The wide array of attacks on Walz highlighted the GOP’s ongoing difficulty in settling on a single, effective line of attack against the Harris campaign. Since she assumed the top spot on the Democratic ticket in July, right-wing media has been noticeably struggling to present a cohesive narrative against her. Instead, they have resorted to a range of disparaging remarks,branding Harrisas a “DEI” candidate and mocking her laughter, among other offensive criticisms.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaksas she holds a campaign rally with her newly chosen vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Kamala Harris’ stump speech Tuesday night began to sketch out the policy appeal she will make to voters in November.

And there are no big surprises. It’s standard Democratic orthodoxy.

She praised her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for being an early defender of LGBT rights. She’s pledged that she and her new running mate will save the Affordable Care Act. And the vice president promised they’d also pass a bill restoring nationwide abortion rights.

A Harris administration would protect and expand voting rights, she said. Mentioning that Walz is a hunter and a gun owner, the Democratic nominee called for “reasonable gun safety laws.”

On the economy, perhaps the stickiest issue she will face, Harris promised to fight for the middle class and to bring down prices. That part of her speech – and her capacity to demonstrate empathy for the struggles that many Americans are still facing despite the strong post-Covid economy – is going to need fleshing out if she is going to effectively counter Trump’s populist economic appeal in the Midwest.

Sen. Tina Smith listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra gives remarks on reproductive care alongside Senate Democrats at the US Department of Health and Human Services building on June 18, in Washington, DC.

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota dismissed GOP leaders framing Gov. Tim Walz as liberal.

In a Wednesday interview on CNN, Smith said former President Donald Trump’s labeling of the Democratic vice presidential pick as “very liberal” is “just laughable.”

She said Walz was elected to represent a “conservative-leaning district, a farming rural community.”

“Is that liberal? I don’t think so,” Smith said.

Walz’s election to Congress was one of the biggest conservative upsets of the 2006 election cycle.

She also highlighted his endorsem*nt from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a former Democrat turned independent centrist, as further proof of Walz’s broad appeal.

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have repeatedly pointed to unrest in Minneapolis in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. Smith pushed back, saying, “In the midst of all of that pain, Gov. Walz came in, he deployed the National Guard, he restored peace to the streets of Minneapolis.”

Remember: Walz — whoservedin the Army National Guard for24 years— deployed the Minnesota National Guard, first activating it on May 28, 2020, more than seven hours before Trump publicly threatened to deploy the Guard himself.

Supporters cheer as Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrive at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, on August 6.

Tuesday evening’s raucous event introducing Kamala Harris’ new running mate was about as far a cry as her team could have orchestrated from the smaller, quieter events President Joe Biden was holding until he withdrew from the race last month.

The contrast was notable. Harris’ and Tim Walz’s speeches were laced with humor and delivered with high energy to a crowd many times the size of Biden’s largest events.

When Biden was last rallying supporters in Philadelphia, he spoke to a much smaller audience for seven minutes at a church service. At the time, the unscripted speech was seen as a win — if only because Biden made no major errors.

Tuesday’s event was a dramatically different affair.

Neither Harris nor Walz dwelled on the record or accomplishments of the Biden administration, focused instead on their opponents and their vision for the country’s future. Absent were any mention of Donald Trump’s threat to Democracy, or his vow to act as a dictator on Day 1 — central themes of Biden’s former campaign.

The shift in messaging is hardly a surprise for a candidate who entered the race with an implicit mandate to do things differently from Biden, who was struggling to gain traction.

But the difference in style and substance presented to the American public for the first time Tuesday was an indication that Democrats have moved in a very different direction.

Gov. Tim Walz unveils the part of his budget that focuses on education and kid-focused spending, at Adams Spanish Immersion Elementary, St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 17, 2023.

Where the Biden administration has struggled, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has succeeded.

The former schoolteacher turned politician whom Vice President Kamala Harrispicked as her running matein the 2024 presidential race has been able to enact many of the progressive policies President Joe Biden and Harris pitched but failed to get through Congress.

Here are some of the progressive measures Walz has enacted as governor:

Child tax credit: Many lower-income Minnesota families can access astate child tax credit, which Walz signed into law last year. At a glance, the credit, which provides up to $1,750 per kid with no limit on the number of children claimed, is the most generous in the US and is projected tolower child povertyby a third. It is also refundable so families can receive a refund even if they don’t owe any tax, though they do need to file a tax return to claim the credit.

Free college tuition: Last year,Walz signed a billinto law that made college tuition free for students from Minnesota families who earn less than $80,000 a year. Between 15,000 and 20,000 students are expected to benefitduring the upcoming school year, the first year the program is in effect.

Abortion access: Walz has been an advocate for abortion access. In January 2023, he signed into law the Protect Reproductive Options Act, which established the right for people in the state to obtain an abortion after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade the previous year.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her newly chosen vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz hold a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Tim Walz was in the midst of his interview with Vice President Kamala Harris’ vetting team when he told them there was something important they needed to know.

He doesn’tuse a teleprompter, the Minnesota governor said. He doesn’t even have one, in fact. So if he was the pick, Walz said, Harris’ team would have to get him a teleprompter and teach him how to use it.

It was a lighter moment, but it was also part of an interview process with Harris’ team that Walz aced, multiple sources familiar with the meetingtoldCNN. The Minnesota governor was upfront about his vulnerabilities, noting he wasn’t from a swing state or a household name. He also said he was a bad debater.

But Walz made it clear he would be a team player.

Asked how he saw his role as VP, Walz said he would perform the job however Harris wanted him to. Asked if he wanted to be the last person in the room before Harris made a decision, Walz said only if she wanted him to be there.

And asked if he hadambitionsto run for president himself one day, Walz said he did not, a point that sources said was not lost on a team looking to minimize the potential for any internal drama in a future Harris administration.

The vetting interview was a key step for Walz to ultimately lock up the selection that Harris made after sitting down with the three finalists, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly,for one-on-one interviews at her residence on Sunday.

Keep reading here about Harris’ decision to select Walz.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Former President Donald Trump says he expects to debate Vice President Kamala Harris “in the near future” while leaving open the possibility for the debate to take place on a network other than Fox News, a shift from his previous pledge to only debate Harris there.

Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday he would prefer for a debate between him and Harris to be hosted by Fox News, but suggested his campaign is having conversations with other networks about the hosting a debate as well, while adding the decision is “up to me.”

“I can tell you every network loves me very much right now. They love me very much. I’ve never been so loved by CBS and by ABC fake news… and by NBC. No, they’re all in love with me now, so that, you know, I say yes,” he continued.

Trump added he believes debates “are very important,” and again stressed his preference would be to participate in a debate hosted by Fox News, but said Harris’ unwillingness to agree to a Fox News debate may prevent the network from hosting.

“I’m all for Fox. I’d like to see it on Fox. I think Fox would do a really good job. But two people have to agree,” he said.

The comments come after Trump, who has accepted a Fox News invitation to appear in a debate on September 4, said in a social media post on Saturday he would only debate Harris on Fox News or “I won’t see her at all.” On Friday, Trump backed out of a planned September 10debate hosted by ABC News.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 26.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has qualified for Vermont’s presidential ballot, the state’s director of elections confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

Last week, Kennedy’s campaign submitted 2,000 signatures to Vermont’s elections office, doubling the 1,000 signatures needed to gain ballot access in the state.

Sean Sheehan, director of elections for the Vermont Secretary of State, told CNN Kennedy’s ballot petition has been verified and he will appear on the state’s ballot in November.

Including Vermont, Kennedy has qualified for the ballot in 14 states, along with Michigan, North Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico, Tennessee, Minnesota, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Delaware, California, Nebraska, Hawaii and Utah.

Kennedy is eligible to receive 158 electoral college votes.

On the heels of Vice President Harris’ first campaign stop in the Midwest with her running mate, the college students still in the area for the summer are eager for her visit.

Thell says many of her classmates come from throughout the entire region and aren’t strictly Wisconsinites. She’s very familiar with Gov. Tim Walz and his broad appeal. The 20-year-old is gearing up to work hard this fall to ensure students are registered to vote and it will be the first time she will have the opportunity to votein a presidential race.

“People are just so excited to have someone who is Midwestern who can represent us a little bit better,” said Thell, a native of a small rural conservative community in South Central Minnesota.

Matthew Lehner, Chair of the Wisconsin College Democrats, says he’s fired up about the Democratic ticket and the most excited he’s ever been.

“I do think this is a very strong strategic choice because he knows well the language that Midwesterners speak. He can campaign in these areas and connect well with folks in western Wisconsin, folks in Michigan and really make sure that we’re holding down these critical states,” he added.

Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on stage at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on Wednesday as she continues her battleground state tour with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The vice president’s remarks in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, are expected at 1:20 p.m. CT (2:20 p.m. ET).

Harris is also expected to travel to battleground Michigan on Wednesday, where she will make remarks at a campaign event in Detroit at 6:40 p.m. ET.

Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is also set to visit those states today as he makes his pitch to voters on behalf of the GOP ticket.

He will deliver remarks at 10 a.m. ET at a press event in Shelby Township, Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit. He will then deliver remarks at a press event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

CNN reported earlier this week that the Ohio senator is looking to veer attention away from the launch of the Democratic ticket with a series of events in the same cities and states as his opponents.He also visited Philadelphia yesterday hours before Harris and Walz held their rally in the city.

Vance’s tour comes as heseeks to reintroduce himselfto the American public after his initial rollout as Trump’s running mate was bogged down by his past comments disparaging women and elected officials who don’t have children. It also offers him a chance to divert attention away from Harris, who is embarking on a new phase of her two-week-old campaign and seeking to maintain momentum.

Trump participated in an interview on Fox News this morning and is not on the campaign trail today.

Former President Donald Trump walks on stage at a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on July 27.

Former President Donald Trump said he was “thrilled” Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, painting Walz as “very liberal” while suggesting Harris passed over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because he is Jewish.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump compared Walz to progressive Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders in an attempt to portray Harris and Walz as “radical” and “communist,” and he “could not be more thrilled” about Walz joining the ticket.

“This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner,” he added.

Trump said he expected Harris to pick Shapiro, whom he called “a better choice,” and said he believes Shapiro wasn’t picked because his Jewish identity would “offend somebody else” while pitching himself to Jewish voters.

“I think I’m gonna get a tremendous amount of Jewish votes,” he added.

CNN reported Tuesday that Shapiro — who was favored by some of the Democratic Party and anti-Trump Republicans as a more moderate selection — did not go over as well with Harris’ team during hisvettinginterview, according to sources familiar with the process. While Walz came across as deferential and cooperative, Shapiro struck some as overly ambitious, with “a lot of questions” about what the role of the VP would be.

Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appears with Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6.

Donald Trump’s campaign is already setting out to defineMinnesota Gov. Tim Walzas someonewho will movethe Democratic presidential ticketto the left–with a key focus on his record, senior Trump campaign advisers and people close to the former president told CNN.

Trump’s team spent the last several days compiling opposition research on Walz, in addition to other leading contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. His advisers say that while they will pull on details from his 12 years in Congress, their goal is to paint Walz — a former teacher and Army National Guard veteran — as someone who has been in lockstep with progressives over the last four years and a key champion of the Biden administration’s policies.

The Trump campaign, which has struggled over the last several weeks to find lines of attack that best work against Harris, said the Walz pick presents a new opportunity for them to reimagine their campaign playbook against her.

Key focal points in their expected attacks include arguing Walz has taken a liberal stance on the border, painting him as anti-gun and anti-cop,tying him to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar,linking him to the Biden administration’s economic policies and questioning his record on foreign policy.

In Congress, Walz’s position on gun rights earned him backing from the National Rifle Association. But he’s since fallen out of favor with the gun lobby over his support for gun safety actions as governor.

Now that he is Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has stepped down from the Democratic Governors Association, where he had been serving as chair.

According to DGA bylaws, because Walz is now a federal candidate, he cannot also serve as the sitting chairman of the umbrella organization for Democratic governors and gubernatorial candidates. Walz had been serving in the role since December.

In a note sent to DGA staff Monday and confirmed to CNN, DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper wrote: “Having the DGA Chair become the VP candidate is a BIG DEAL and a thing to celebrate! His team (Gov. Walz) called me this morning to say ‘We want you to know how important the DGA is to the governor and to our whole team.’”

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will succeed Walz as chair.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will continue their campaign blitz through key swing states onWednesday,with events in Wisconsin and Michigan as the newly formed ticket seeks to mobilize voters.

The campaign says the two will “highlight the choice facing Blue Wall voters between the Trump-Vance agenda to weaken unions and give tax cuts to the wealthy on the backs of the middle class, and the Harris-Walz vision for the future, where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead.”

The Harris campaign also touted messaging and campaign infrastructure, saying in part: “The Harris-Walz campaign battleground infrastructure in the Blue Wall dwarfs the Trump-Vance operation. Team Harris-Walz has nearly 400 staff across almost 100 field offices in Michigan and Wisconsin, while the Trump campaign still barely has any ground game presence.”

At the midday rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the indie group Bon Iver is set to perform.

Speakers include:

In Detroit, Michigan, speakers include:

Harris’ event in the Great Lake State comes after over a dozen labor endorsem*nts, including from the UAW International Executive Board, which voted to formally back Harris’ candidacy last week.

Wednesday’s visit marks Harris’ sixth visit to Wisconsin and fifth visit to Michigan this year. She launched her presidential campaign with a rally in Milwaukee two weeks ago.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz greet supporters during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzintroduced himselfas Vice President Kamala Harris’running mate at a joint rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, positioning himself as both a folksy populist and a fierce defender of the Democratic ticket.

Catch up on key moments from the rally:

Small-town background:

Mutual praise:

Promises made:

Attacks on Trump and Vance:

Read more about today’s campaign rally here.

Kamala HarrisandTim Walzwant to make America joyful again.

The vice president’s rockingrollout of her running mateon Tuesday sent jolts of energy through a huge crowd, as the pair personified the extraordinarytransformation of the 2024 election campaign.

Such a scene would have been unthinkable even three weeks ago — in a Democratic Party that believed it was doomed to a disastrous defeat as an aged president resentfully faced a revolt that ultimately ended his reelection bid.

Yet inside Temple University’s packed basketball arena in Philadelphia, activists and Harris supporters beamed smiles of deliverance, marveling at the turn of events and a second chance against Donald Trump they can barely believe.

It’s hardly new for a political party to sell hope and aspiration — it’s a staple of presidential election campaigns. But the fresh vibe in Philadelphia was striking because it emerged after one of the darkest chapters of modern US politics.

Americans have experienced a Trump presidency that threatened to tear the country apart, suffered through a pandemic that killed more than a million citizens and endured grinding years of economic insecurity caused by inflation and high grocery prices. For most of this year, the former president has promised a second presidency of retribution.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, had been delivering searing warnings that his rival was tarnishing the very soul of America, even as the haunting signs of the president’s advancing age became increasingly painful to watch.

Read the full analysis.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her newly chosen vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz take the stage during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are officially the Democratic nominees for president and vice president, the party announced Tuesday.

The Democratic National Committeeannounced Mondaythat Harris won the presidential nomination. She is the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major-party ticket. Harris won 99% of the vote,according to the Democratic National Convention.

Under party rules, Harris could name her running mate without a separate vote.