NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsLatest news as Democratic presidential contender introduces Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at first joint rally in Philadelphia as the pair now take on Donald Trump and JD Vance
Tim Walz makes first speech as Harris’s running mate
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Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took the stage together for the first time on Tuesday as official running mates on the Democratic presidential ticket, with the 2024 election just 90 days away.
The pair arrived before the more than 12,000-strong crowd at Temple University in Philadelphia to roars of applause.
Onstage, the vice president praised Walz’s Midwest roots as a teacher, veteran, congressman, and governor responsible for policies like free school lunch for kids and protections to codify abortion rights.
“I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said.
Walz, for his part, gave a fiery speech of his own, balancing calls to bring “joy” back to politics with cutting attacks on the GOP campaign, mocking Donald Trump and JD Vance as out-of-touch leaders who were “weird as hell” and lying about their connections to Project 2025. He also made a joke about…that…NSFW rumor about Vance and a couch.
Walz beat out a crowded field of rivals to be the Democratic pick for VP, including Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, who appeared at Tuesday’s rally.
1723004356It’s a vibes election – and Harris has picked the perfect running mate for the jobMy colleague Richard Hall reports:
Namita Singh7 August 2024 05:19
1723004300Michigan will choose between Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike RogersFormer US representative Mike Rogers has secured the Republican nomination for a US Senate seat in Michigan and will face Democratic representative Elissa Slotkin in the November election.
Ms Slotkin and Mr Rogers, long considered the front-runners for their respective party nominations, will now shift focus to the general election. Ms Slotkin enters with a massive fundraising advantage and emerges nearly unscathed from a sparse primary, while Mr Rogers has the backing of national Republican groups and former President Donald Trump.
Former representative Mike Rogers and Representative Elissa Slotkin are set to face each other in November election (AP)Ms Slotkin defeated actor Hill Harper in the Democratic primary, while Republicans chose Mr Rogers over former US representative Justin Amash and physician Sherry O’Donnell. Both candidates will now compete for a seat left open by longtime Democratic senator Debbie Stabenow’s retirement.
The retiring incumbent joined Ms Slotkin onstage at an event in Detroit shortly after the race was called to endorse her. Ms Slotkin praised Stabenow for her years of service before delivering a speech positioning herself as the “normal” and “rational” candidate.
North of Detroit, in Oakland County, Mr Rogers thanked supporters at a watch party for “not giving up on politics.” Like Ms Slotkin, Mr Rogers represented a mid-Michigan swing district in Congress, and he similarly positioned himself as the commonsense candidate in his speech. No Republican has won a US Senate race in Michigan since 1994.
With Democrats holding a razor-thin majority in the Senate and Republicans in the House, competitive races like those in Michigan are drawing lots of attention.
Namita Singh7 August 2024 05:18
1723002594Vance offers battleground counterprogram to WalzJD Vance is set to follow an overlapping itinerary to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz over the next two days, including stops in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
His role is to attack the Biden administration’s policies and tear down Ms Harris’ record on the economy, public safety and immigration.
Mr Vance got out ahead of the Democrats in Philadelphia on Tuesday, holding an event hours before Ms Harris was to formally introduce her new running mate at a rally.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris holds rally with vice president pick Tim Walz, in Philadelphia (Reuters)He said during his Philadelphia stop that “I absolutely want to debate Tim Walz,” but not until after the Democratic convention. Ms Harris’ team seemed to be happy to have Vance making the contrast with the Democrats.
“We appreciate JD Vance providing voters in battleground states exactly the split-screen that defines the choice this November,” said Ms Harris campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak.
Namita Singh7 August 2024 04:49
1723002321Harris and Walz could clear path for first-ever Native American woman governorUnder the succession plan laid out by the state’s constitution, Minnesota’s Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan would ascend to the governor’s office, if Harris-Walz defeats Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance in 2024.
Flanagan — a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe — would also become the state’s first-ever female governor.
Alex Woodward has the details.
Oliver O’Connell7 August 2024 04:45
1723001686Cori Bush becomes second Squad member to lose her primaryDemocratic representative Cori Bush became the second member of the Squad to lose her primary as county prosecutor Wesley Bell beat her in a grueling and expensive primary on Tuesday evening.
Pro-Israel groups spent massive amounts of money to depose Bush in the district where she pulled off an upset victory against a longtime incumbent Democrat in 2020.
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent $9.2m against Bush, according to AdImpact. That made the primary the second-most expensive one of the year after UDP spent millions in opposition to fellow Squad member Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Report:
Namita Singh7 August 2024 04:34
1723001038Cori Bush becomes second Squad member to lose her primaryDemocratic representative Cori Bush became the second member of the Squad to lose her primary as county prosecutor Wesley Bell beat her in a grueling and expensive primary on Tuesday evening.
Pro-Israel groups spent massive amounts of money to depose Bush in the district where she pulled off an upset victory against a longtime incumbent Democrat in 2020.
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent $9.2m against Bush, according to AdImpact. That made the primary the second-most expensive one of the year after UDP spent millions in opposition to fellow Squad member Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Report:
Namita Singh7 August 2024 04:23
1723000509How Walz might help – or hurt – Harris’ chancesOpting for the Minnesota governor immediately calms the Democratic Party’s left wing, which was worried that another contender, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, might have pushed the party closer to Israel and disheartened Arab American and younger voters.
Some in Kamala Harris’ inner circle saw Mr Walz as a do-no-harm choice who can keep the party unified heading into the Democratic National Convention opening in Chicago on 19 August.
Progressives are already celebrating Mr Walz’s ability to deliver an unapologetically populist message in the style of a Midwestern dad who recalls the social studies teacher and football coach he once was.
Activists who for months have followed Joe Biden around the country to protest his full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza are hopeful that Mr Walz will help Harris take a more nuanced approach than someone like Shapiro.
But some critics will point to 2016, when the only other woman to be nominated for president, Hillary Clinton, picked a mild-mannered dad with centrist views and a modest national profile: Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. That ticket lost to Donald Trump.
Namita Singh7 August 2024 04:15
1722998721Is Trump having a ‘public nervous breakdown’? Republicans worry he might be…Republicans are concerned that their party leader Donald Trump is having a “public nervous breakdown” after he made a series of offensive outbursts about Vice President Kamala Harris as he slips behind her in the polls.
Perhaps collapsing under the weight of Harris’ growing campaign support, the former president has made a number of insulting personal attacks against his Democratic rival. Last week, Trump questioned the vice president’s racial identity at the National Association of Black Journalists conference. Over the weekend, he accused Harris of having a “low IQ.”
Meanwhile, new polls indicate Trump is slipping behind the vice president in the popular vote and races are tightening in battleground states.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Oliver O’Connell7 August 2024 03:45
1722995138Opening of Trump campaign office in Georgia descends into chaosA fight broke out at the opening of a Trump campaign office in Valdosta, Georgia, police have said.
The incident took place last week when State Representative John LaHood said he was approached by activist Sam Carnline after speaking at the event, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Oliver O’Connell7 August 2024 02:45
1722992438Pakistani national with ties to Iran indicted for alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill TrumpThe Department of Justice has accused a Pakistani national with ties to the Iranian government with seeking to carry out a murder-for-hire plot targeting US government officials.
Asif Raza Merchant, who is now in federal custody, allegedly traveled to the US to hire hit men to carry out assassinations in August or September, according to an indictment unsealed in New York on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward has the details.
Oliver O’Connell7 August 2024 02:00
