Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris is on the campaign trail with vice presidential running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Philadelphia on Tuesday — the pair’s first rally together since she announced which Democratic candidate would be her VP pick hours ago. In her first remarks, she told an enthusiastic crowd, “I stand before you today to proudly announce I am now officially the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.” Harris, standing alongside Walz, said, “And so now, we have some work to do. We have to move to the general election and win that.” Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a top contender for the VP spot on the ticket, addressed the crowd earlier. “I love being your governor,” Shapiro said, and vowed he’ll work hard to elect Harris and Walz.
He praised Harris, whom he referred to as a friend for 20 years, as “courtroom tough,” referring to her career as a prosecutor, and said “she has a big heart, and she is battle tested and ready to go.” Shapiro also lavished praise on Walz, whom he referred to as an outstanding governor and a great patriot, as well as a dear friend.
In his first remarks as Harris’ running mate, Walz is expected to emphasize Midwestern values.”Minnesota’s strength comes from our values — our commitment to working together, to seeing past our differences, to lending a helping hand,” Walz is expected to say, according to a Harris-Walz campaign official. And he’s also expected to go after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying that “he sees the world differently.””He doesn’t know the first thing about service because he’s too busy serving himself,” Walz is expected to say.
Walz, too, is also expected to tout Harris’ record as a prosecutor and tell rallygoers she’s “fought on the side of the American people” in every role she’s had. “She took on predators and fraudsters, took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests, she’s never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people’s lives,” Walz is expected to say. With 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania has the largest allocation among battleground states and a win in the state is likely to be pivotal to winning the White House in November. In 2016, former President Donald Trump unexpectedly won the state, which had voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1992. President Biden took it back in 2020.Harris and Trump are tied at 50% among likely voters in Pennsylvania, according to the latest CBS News poll. The poll, which found Harris has a 1-point edge nationally, also shows the vice president and Trump in an even race in the other six battleground states. Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, also made a campaign stop in Philadelphia earlier Tuesday. He plans to travel to other battleground states later this week, as well. Kamala Harris’ upcoming planned rally scheduleThe Philadelphia rally kicks off Harris and Walz’s cross-country tour in seven battleground states this week. The two will be campaigning in the following cities:Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on WednesdayDetroit, Michigan, on ThursdayPhoenix, Arizona, on FridayLas Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday. Harris had also scheduled campaign stops in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday and Savannah, Georgia, on Friday, but the events were postponed due to Tropical Storm Debby, which is forecasted to bring historic rainfall and flooding to southeastern states this week.
More
Melissa Quinn
contributed to this report.
Caitlin Yilek
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
