LEESPORT, Pa. — The aspiring vice presidential nominees visited Pennsylvania on Saturday in a pair of campaign events within an hour’s distance of each other — and with messages miles apart.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz stepped onstage at Freedom High School and touted his party’s inclusivity. Republican Sen. JD Vance stumped in a fairgrounds farm stand draped in American flags, promising mass deportations to approving cheers.
Walz, at an event to mark the start of Hispanic American Heritage month in Bethlehem, urged collective action to safeguard Democracy, protect women’s reproductive rights and build an economy for the middle class.
“You chose to come here, and the reason is simple: You love this country,” Walz said. “Hard work can be good work. Democracy is … a precious privilege and gift that we need to protect. And you can do it with joy, optimism, grace and happiness.”
Vance, in Leesport, Berks County, gave a speech almost entirely dedicated to the threat of illegal immigration, which he argued has strained the economy and driven up costs, particularly in Pennsylvania. He promised to continue pressing the issue despite criticisms that many of the claims are inflammatory and untrue.
“What really bothers me about it is, it’s not just that they’ve made people’s lives worse with this terrible open border; it’s that they’re gonna call you bad names if you dare complain about it,” the Ohio senator said. “We are not bad people for thinking that you should not flood millions of illegal aliens into this country. … Kamala Harris is a bad person for letting this happen to our country in the first place.”
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are critical in this election. Vance said he put “zero” weight in recent polls that showed Harris with a lead in the state.
