“Coach” is one of the dominant words in the signs people hold proudly on September 14 while waiting in a line outside the Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium in Superior, Wis., to see Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota speak. The neighboring governor is making his fourth appearance in the battleground state since becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate in the presidential election.
Two women waiting in line enthusiastically speak over each other to tell me why they believe the Democratic ticket is the best choice for Americans.
“He is real,” they say, holding a banner with the Democratic ticket’s “A New Way Forward” theme. “We love him. He is connected to the real person. He has empathy, understands. He is relatable. He is a human being and treats people with respect, every single person.”
It is a sentiment shared by others here, including Mayor Jim Paine of Superior who says every vote matters in the swing state of Wisconsin. The swing state helped decide the 2020 U.S. presidential elections in favor of President Joe Biden.
“In almost every state race, but especially presidential elections, it has some of the closest margins in the country,” says Paine, who was re-elected last year without opposition. “Sometimes, a single vote per precinct for the state can decide an election. In no other state do individual votes matter more. So, turnout drives this election. Enthusiasm drives this election. Passion, commitment, hard work, this is what is going to decide the elections in Wisconsin. In other words, democracy.”
Affordable housing, living wage jobs to build a better future and protecting women’s reproductive rights and children are some of the most important issues to Wisconsin residents.
In his passionate speech before a crowd of approximately 1,400 people, Walz touches on all of them, including one of the most divisive topics – abortion.
“I would go out to all of your neighbors and make the case on this,” he says. “Do you want JD Vance deciding about your wife and daughter’s health?
“No,” the crowd yells, as Walz continues: “Or would you rather just leave it to them and their doctor? That’s what freedom looks like.”
Back in Minnesota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, many yards are decorated with Harris-Walz and other signs of support. One red sign on St. Clair Avenue reads “Trump for Prison 20-24 years.”
But to a taxi driver in his 50s, the former president is the “least evil of the two.” Abortion is where he draws the line against the Democrats, citing some of Trump’s talking points from the presidential debate, which have been repeatedly debunked.
“Do you think that people should have abortions up to the moment of birth or have a limit?” he asks, claiming: “(Walz) doesn’t. He thinks they should have abortions whenever they want to.”
According to a Pew Research study that takes data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the vast majority of abortions occur during the first trimester of a pregnancy.”
An East African immigrant in his 40s, living in the Twin Cities for a couple of years also plans to vote for Trump.
“I am Muslim,” he says. “I have children. Democrats want to teach them gay things in the schools. I don’t want that. Trump is not against immigrants, but it has to be legal.”
The man himself risked his life by taking a boat from Africa to Europe, before making his trip to the United States.
Former President Trump rhetoric against immigrants has been inflammatory for years, including when he served at the White House, proposing a Muslim ban, which he says will reinstate.
His false claims about Haitians eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio led to multiply threats against the community there.
A possible win for Harris and Walz would also be historic for the state of Minnesota. If Gov. Walz becomes U.S. vice president next January, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become the governor of Minnesota. She would be the first Native American to serve as a state governor in the nation.
Walz is due to face his opponent JD Vance in the vice presidential debate on October 1.
