Tim Walls returns home to Nebraska in the midst of a battle over the electoral vote

Omaha, Neb. (AP) – Tim Walls She touted her Nebraska roots Saturday in her first trip back to her home state since becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and drew sharp contrasts between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Playing to the crowd, Walls mentioned his love of Nebraska football and joked about the historical significance of the Stonehenge replica built of classic cars, known as Carhenge, which sits near where he taught in the Panhandle. He later emphasized the values ​​he learned about helping one’s neighbor and minding one’s own business.

“More than anything — like here in Nebraska — Minnesota’s strength comes from our values,” he said of the state where he serves as governor.

Walls emphasized that he and Harris believe in helping all Americans succeed — not just millionaires and billionaires, who he said Trump wants to help. All part of his plea for a separate electoral vote in Omaha’s swing Second Congressional District, which could be split from the rest of the heavily Republican state.

Walls said he wants Republicans to make decisions about Americans’ health care, including abortion rights, by intruding into people’s daily lives and trying to hurt Social Security. And when they try to change the election, it’s not only weird, it’s anti-American.

Trump and his fellow Republicans “care deeply about our bedrooms, our exam rooms and our libraries,” he said.

At the start of the event, Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Gleib joked that Omaha had a new nickname of “Kamaha” as she encouraged everyone at the rally to work hard to elect Harris and Walls in November.

Supporters trust Walls Knowledge of Rural America — he grew up in the small towns of Valentine and Butte in the Sandhills — can help Democrats appeal to wide swaths of Republican strongholds that have rarely been contested in recent elections.

His appearance in Omaha bolsters the campaign’s interest in defense A single electoral vote It comes on the heels of Joe Biden winning the swing 2nd District in 2020 and Barack Obama in 2008. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance next week will meet Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts is expected to be in Omaha for a private fundraiser.

“I think it demonstrates the importance we have as a CD2-blue dot,” said Omaha author Wes Jensen.

Former state Sen. Al Davis, who represented the town of Alliance, where Walls taught for six years before moving to Minnesota after meeting his wife, said he thought Walls “could speak to the rural areas of the country in a way that other candidates couldn’t.” He added, “So I’m hoping this will swing some votes in rural Nebraska and across the Midwest.”

Coalition residents are planning their own local rally next week to watch Walls speak Democratic Convention In Chicago.

Even before Walls took the stage in Omaha, the Republican National Committee accused the Kamala Harris-Walls ticket of not representing “Midwestern values” and said Nebraska voters would “send a good message” when they help reinstate the former president.

Bill McCamley of Lincoln said he remembers Walls, now Minnesota’s governor, getting interested in government when Valentine taught him seventh-grade social studies, but he never expected to one day become governor or perhaps vice president.

McCamley said Walls came up with the idea in seventh grade to build a veterans memorial to all Cherry County residents who served in the military, then convinced local leaders to build a sidewalk for the memorial.

“I went with him, but he did the work. He talked to them and said this is the idea. This is what I want to do,” McCamley said. “And then he agreed with them to go along with it. I thought it was very interesting.

McCamley had to call the state Democratic Party for access to Saturday’s rally after the online registration system was suspended after 10,000 people expressed interest in attending a rally in a theater designed to hold only about 2,500 people in the Omaha suburb of La Vista. Although that was unlikely, McCamley looked forward to an opportunity to reunite with his former student, and when the two dated in seventh grade, he jokingly confronted him about his daughter Julie Long’s boyfriend.

Long said she’s hung on to the Valentines the Walls have given her over the years because the message made her smile, announcing “ours is a strange and wonderful relationship.” Inside, the cover read, “You’re weird, I’m awesome.”

“The epitome of his sense of humor,” said Long, who competed with Walls to see which of them was smarter because his dad was a teacher and he was a superintendent there.

They both drifted out of high school and lost track of Walls for a long time — outside of a chance meeting when they both lived in the Panhandle — until she noticed he was showing up on the news as governor, facing tougher issues like protests. The killing of George Floyd In the hands of the Minneapolis police.

After overcoming that restlessness and accomplishing key priorities like Protection against abortion Walls has a long list of accomplishments to woo Democratic voters, including free lunches for school children.

But Walls may also appeal to Republicans because he’s smart, funny and cares about helping people, Long said.

“I think if people are willing to listen to what he’s saying and that kind of stuff — and actually listen — it’s going to open some doors,” said Long, who lives in Hot Springs, South Dakota. She can go to the rally with her father.