Walz visits Pittsburgh to court battleground votes

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz visited the battleground state of Pennsylvania in a setting he’s familiar with as a former coach — the football field of Acrisure Stadium. 

This marks Walz’s third visit as vice presidential candidate to Pittsburgh, a recent hotspot this election for candidates hoping to win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes, the greatest of seven battleground states.

This week, all four members of the Democratic and Republican tickets will be in the state — Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Erie on Monday and is expected to return midweek to Bucks County, and former president Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in Latrobe on Saturday. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, visited Johnstown on Saturday and will return to speak at The Pennsylvanian in downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Several speakers addressed the crowd before Walz, including Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Deputy Voter Protection Director Mary Gibson and co-President of College Democrats at Pitt Sam Podnar. Each speaker urged Pennsylvania voters to get out and vote.

“We have to use our votes to make the change we want to see in this world, which means turning out like we never have before to make our voices heard, and that means voting early,” Podnar said.

Gibson focused on the narrow margins that won Pennsylvania in past elections.

“In 2020, President Biden only won this state by about five votes per precinct,” Gibson said. “This year could be even closer. That means we cannot leave one point on the board.”

As the election draws near, Podnar urged voters to elect Harris for president. 

“[Harris] has spent her career fighting for working people, fighting to protect our freedoms, and fighting to help families get ahead. It is a very, very clear choice,” Podnar said.

Will Allen, former Steelers safety, introduced Walz. 

“We’re all tasked to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They care about working people, they care about our seniors, they care about our children. They’re fighting for us all,” Allen said. 

Shortly after, Walz took to the podium, opening with a nod to the common manufacturing history between Pennsylvania and Minnesota, where he serves as governor. 

“Our two states share a history of being at the center of building this country,” Walz said. “The iron mines of northern Minnesota fueled the steel mills of Pennsylvania. It was our states that built the tanks that won World War II, and it was our people who freed the world from Nazi tyranny, and today we’re still building the future.”

Doubts were raised about Trump’s mental acuity, with Walz citing a recent town hall where Trump paused questioning to play music and dance on stage. 

“If this was your grandfather, you would take the keys away,” Walz said. “If he shuts down like he did last night, you know he’s doing that when he’s sitting in the Situation Room or in briefings that are important, and you don’t have to guess how he’s going to act,” Walz said.

One of the Harris-Walz campaign’s main selling points has been building an opportunity economy, a plan Walz called “one that lowers your everyday cost, lifts everyone up and leaves nobody behind.” Walz outlined the main points of the plan, including tax cuts for child care purposes, home down payment assistance, small business tax credits and eliminating price gouging. 

In a tightly contested state like Pennsylvania, Walz reflected on the importance of appealing across the aisle.

“[Harris] told me when we were up in Beaver County, we were getting off a bus, there were our supporters over here, waving flags, and over here were our non-supporters,” Walz said. “And she turned around to me and she said, ‘Never forget, Tim, we work just as hard for this side of the street as this side of the street.’”

Walz also referenced Trump’s status as a convicted felon.

“This might be the first time in modern American history that both members of the Democratic ticket are gun owners, and the Republican nominee can’t pass a background check. Those 34 felony convictions kind of get in the way of you purchasing that,” Walz said.

Speaking to the men in the crowd, Walz called for action on behalf of the women in their lives and attacked Trump’s praise of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.

“You got women in your lives, your wives, your daughters, your mothers, your friends. Their lives are literally at stake in this election,” Walz said. “More than 20 states have Trump abortion bans. [Trump] said he’s glad about it. He called it a beautiful thing that right now, as we speak, women are waiting and being denied care in ERs and either having miscarriages in parking lots or going home to try and deal with it.”

The vice presidential nominee concluded with a rally to vote and canvas. 

“In this building, you don’t win the Super Bowl just on that day,” Walz said. “You win the Super Bowl months before with the work that you do.”

Pat Drogowski, an attendee from the community, said she believes in Walz’s integrity and honesty.

“In a country where there’s men in suits and you have this degree and that degree and you have to be a businessman, I think it’s time that we have a very real person who’s lived it and done it,” Drogowski said.

Jan Agnew, another attendee, said she agreed that Walz’s character is a standout in partisan politics.

“I think he’s a good foil for Kamala,” Agnew said. “I think they have the best interests of the country at heart, not just the party.”

Throughout the campaign, Walz has been highlighted as a high school football coach and teacher for 20 years. Paul Bodnarchuk, a football coach and attendee, said he related to Walz’s experiences.

“I like his spirit and attitude about teamwork, because it does take a team for this to work,” Bodnarchuk said.

Alina Keebler, a former Minnesota resident, said she believes Walz is well liked back home.

“I lived in Minnesota through junior and senior high school and I’m still friends with people there,” Keebler said. “I was just talking to them, and they said they really love him there — that he’s such a good person with such a good heart.”

Victoria Michelle Yann, another attendee, also emphasized Walz’s work as governor in Minnesota, as well as his humility and relatability as a candidate.

“He’s down-to-earth,” Yann said. “He cares about people. He has done a lot for Minnesota in helping get lunches for kids so that they can learn. I think he’s about the everyday common person and he can do more with a bigger pulpit now to help all of us succeed.”