By Jayden Pohlman" />
Less than 24 hours after the first and only vice-presidential debate, Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz campaigned in York, Pennsylvania, Wednesday afternoon.
Walz rallied more than 2,000 supporters inside the UPMC Arena at York Fairgrounds to kick off a bus tour through the highly coveted counties of south-central Pennsylvania.
Vice President Kamala Harris was initially slated to appear with Walz, but the campaign scrambled to rearrange schedules after Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the southeast U.S. in recent days. Harris instead traveled to Georgia Wednesday to meet with victims of the storm.
The campaign called in Pennsylvania Senator and York native John Fetterman, who alongside other local leaders greeted Walz as he landed at Harrisburg International Airport and spoke before him at Wednesday’s rally.
Fetterman praised Walz’s debate performance and criticized his “weird” colleague, fellow senator and Republican VP nominee JD Vance.
“Vance reminds me of Dr. Oz,” Fetterman said. “They both used to be accomplished, regular people and then they decided to sell their soul to be all about MAGA.”
Fetterman beat Dr. Mehmet Oz to earn his Senate seat in the 2022 midterm elections.
Walz opened by sending love to those impacted by Hurricane Helene before sharing his thoughts on the debate. Walz criticized what he called Vance’s “damning non-answer” on whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 election — this exchange was almost instantly turned into an attack ad by the Harris campaign.
“I was speaking to the American people last night,” Walz said. “Sen.Vance was speaking to an audience of one.”
In his roughly 30-minute speech, Walz highlighted his upbringing in rural communities and told how Harris’ proposed “opportunity economy” will benefit voters in rural York County, which Donald Trump won by 25 points in 2020.
“Kamala has laid out a plan,” Walz said. “She talked about an opportunity economy, one that reaches into farming and energy communities just like this area of Pennsylvania.”
Walz reiterated many points he made in the vice-presidential debate the night prior, including his advocacy and personal journey with IVF, and his support for gun safety measures. The crowd erupted into chants of “save our kids” as Walz criticized Vance’s controversial comments earlier this year that school shootings are a "fact of life."
“Our first responsibility is to our kids,” Walz said.
Rallygoers also heard from local campaign organizer Madeline Grunsby and York County Commissioner Doug Hoke. Walz was introduced, however, by retired schoolteacher and self-proclaimed lifelong Republican Jerri Anne Johnson.
“I have seen the light,” Johnson said. “It’s now time to turn the page on the chaos of Trump.”
Using local anti-Trump Republicans has become a strategy implemented across the commonwealth by the Harris campaign to sway crucial undecided voters. In September, Harris was introduced at a rally in Wilkes-Barre by Mary Grace Vadala, another lifelong Republican who vowed to cast her first vote for a Democratic ticket.
With Walz’s visit to York coming just 34 days before Election Day, the campaign will continue an all-out political battle for those crucial Republican and independent votes. Pennsylvania continues to be in a statistical tie, with recent polling from the New York Times showing Harris just one point ahead, while an AARP poll shows Harris ahead with 49 percent to Trump’s 47 percent.
Pennsylvanians have until Oct. 21 to register to vote in the Nov. 5 elections.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.