Tim Walz Urges Voters to ‘Turn the Page’ on Trump in La Crosse

LA CROSSE — Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz took one last opportunity to make his case to voters in western Wisconsin Monday morning, rallying a small crowd in La Crosse.

Walz appeared with his wife, Gwen Walz, at The Main in downtown La Crosse and encouraged those who missed out on early voting to go to the polls on Tuesday. The visit came about an hour after rival vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance addressed supporters at the La Crosse Center in the same city.

Later Monday, Walz scheduled campaign stops in Stevens Point and Milwaukee.

“This is an opportunity for us to turn the page and continue this momentum forward,” he said. “This election can literally be won through the state of Wisconsin, and it can be won right here through La Crosse.”

Opinion polls show a tight race in Wisconsin. A Marquette University School of Law Poll A report released Wednesday showed Harris with a 1-point lead over Trump among likely voters, within the poll’s margin of error.

Here’s what you need to know about Walz’s stop.

Walz says Trump win will lead to ‘a future that goes backwards’

Walz urged his supporters to talk to friends and family about voting on Tuesday.

He said Trump’s election would be a “future that goes backwards” while he and Harris would usher in a “hopeful, united, inclusive” future.

“We’re not going to stand there and let them talk about freedom and take away our freedoms,” he said. “We’re not going to let them take a flag and then stick some guys’ faces on it. We won’t let this happen.”

He also addressed the issue of election security, which is expected to be called into question Tuesday in Wisconsin by poll watchers.

“We have the fairest and most secure elections in the world,” he said.

“We will count the votes. We will win by vote, and we will also be able to know that we are taking part not only in moving forward after nine years of what we have seen, but in actually charting a new path forward. The rest of the world is watching, so I have one request: win it for America.”

Focus on price cuts and tax breaks on the last day of the campaign.

After talking about his small-town upbringing, Walz focused on how the Harris-Walz administration would work to reduce Americans’ costs on things like groceries and insulin.

“Every day we will be focused on lowering the cost of living for middle-class people and putting more money back in the pockets of middle-class people,” he said.

He also outlined Harris’ plans to provide a $6,000 child tax credit and a $25,000 down payment assistance tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

Gwen Walz Calls Elections ‘The Ultimate Group Project’

Gwen Walz warmed up the crowd before Tim Walz’s speech by telling voters that “everyone belongs” in America.

“Kamala and Tim will be president and vice president for all Americans, for everyone, for middle class families like the ones they grew up in,” she said. “And that means we must depend on the freedom to make our own decisions about our own bodies and our own lives.”

She pointed to several of her students in the crowd and called the election “the best group project.”

“Yes, that’s true. And guess what? Last notice, it should be tomorrow,” she said.

Ron Kind and Amy Klobuchar say Trump is ‘disappointing’

Former U.S. Rep. Ron Kind also spoke before Walz took the stage and said meeting Trump during his presidency was “disappointing.”

“It was so obvious that it wasn’t about you,” Kind said. “It’s about him, and that’s what he showed when he walked down Trump’s golden escalator all those years ago.”

Kind said he knew Walz from his days in Congress and came to know him as a good man and a good legislator who was loved by his constituents and former students.

“You will not find a more genuine, sincere, compassionate and decent person serving in public office today than Tim Walz,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota highlighted the wide range of supporters of the Harris-Waltz ticket, from liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders to conservative Republican Liz Cheney to musician Bad Bunny.

“Why did Kamala and Tim gather so many people?” she said. “Well, it’s because they stand for something. They champion the American economy and American manufacturing.”

She also poked fun at Trump and Vance’s relationship.

“We have Kamala and Tim electrifying crowds and filling arenas, including 25,000 people in this state,” she said. “On the other hand, we have Trump and Vance, who already look like they need couples counseling.”

Vance holds off rivals at Monday morning’s rally.

Just a few blocks away, Vance addressed the crowd at the La Crosse Center. The dueling rallies show how intensely the candidates have focused their attention on Wisconsin, with candidates and their surrogates visiting the state daily during the last few weeks of the election.

At the La Crosse Center, Vance urged voters to take nine friends or family members to the polls and urge them to vote for Trump.

“Tomorrow is the last day. Tomorrow is a big day when we will have a lot of people voting in Wisconsin. We will vote for change, we will vote for American prosperity,” he said. . “We are going to vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States.”

Republicans criticize Walz’s visit and criticize Harris over inflation

As Walz toured the state, Republicans focused on Harris’s connection to Biden and inflation.

“After four years of Camalanomics, Wisconsin households spent nearly $28,000 more due to historical inflation. Given four more years, Kamala Harris is proposing the biggest tax hike in history—a proposal that will devastate hardworking families,” said Trump Team Wisconsin communications director Jacob Jacob. Fischer said this in a statement.

“In the meantime, President Trump is proposing to help hardworking Wisconsinites with commonsense policies such as no tip tax, no Social Security tax, no overtime tax, tax credits for caregivers and children, and tax credits for new agricultural equipment.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Alison Dirr contributed to this story.

Laura Schulte can be contacted at: [email protected] and on X in @SchulteLaura.