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Though he was running about an hour late and had been packed into a stuffy Carver High School gymnasium, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz channeled energy from the local high school and Democrat supporters into energetic attacks against Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump, as well as Mark Robinson, the North Carolina Republican nominee for governor and current lieutenant governor. “Never underestimate public school teachers,” Walz said as he took the stage at about 8 p.m.
in front of a crowd of hundreds. “I feel right at home.” Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz greets the crowd during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. Walz began by praising Winston-Salem and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
“I would normally say those are big shoes to fill,” Walz said. “But you’re gonna fill ‘em with Josh Stein.” Later, he directly called out Robinson, who has been embroiled in controversy after an explosive Sept.
19 CNN report on comments Robinson allegedly made in a forum on the porn site Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012. People are also reading..
. Robinson has since filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN after losing TV advertisements and key members of his campaign staff. “You’ve got a real peach of a guy running for governor,” Walz said.
“America doesn’t hold you to that guy, trust me, because that guy is never going to be the governor of North Carolina.” Supporters react as Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage for a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct.
17, 2024. Walz punctuated his speech, which was about 25 minutes long, with a wide variety of digs at Trump, Republican vice presidential nominee J.D.
Vance, and Robinson. He also made direct appeals to male voters and often urged some of the Democrat supporters in the crowd to confront their male family members or friends about Trump’s policies. “Men, I’m talking to you, we know that women are getting this right and they’re voting in waves for Kamala Harris,” Walz said after attacking Trump and Robinson’s positions on abortion bans.
Walz referenced Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant who died of septic shock following delays in her medical care after her abortion. Thurman has become a talking point for the Democrat campaign on the issue of abortion rights. In his speech Thursday night, Walz said that Harris would sign Roe vs.
Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision which gave U.S. citizens a right to have an abortion.
“The people in our lives, our wives, our daughters, our mothers, our friends - for Christ’ sakes - our neighbors, their lives are literally at stake on how we vote,” Walz said. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct.
17, 2024. “When did the party of Ronald Reagan decide it was OK for our government to make our personal choices?” Walz asked. He also interspersed specific policy changes and plans for what could be Harris’ presidential administration throughout the speech.
Harris has promised tax cuts for 100 million Americans, and a plan to build 3 million homes over four years. In addition to the promise to build new homes, Harris has also proposed that the government provide as much as $25,000 in down-payment assistance to first-time homebuyers. Walz also attacked comments that Vance made in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press about a healthcare plan Trump mentioned in his debate with Harris.
Rapper Common campaigns for Tim Walz in Winston-Salem. Vance proposed introducing some “deregulatory agenda” that would fight against a “one-fits-all” approach that puts people into the same health insurance pools. Vance also gave an example of allowing insurers to separate people into different risk pools.
Walz attacked Vance’s approach, saying that if insurance companies are allowed to pick who they insure they’ll only pick healthy and young people so they won’t have to pay out more insurance premiums. “I told [Vance] you should stick with a concept of a plan,” Walz said. Award-winning hip-hop artist and actor Common warmed up the audience as Walz arrived from Durham, where he'd held a rally with former president Bill Clinton on North Carolina’s first day of early voting.
During Common’s 10-minute performance, he said that Kamala Harris should be president and praised Tim Walz as a football coach. Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines urged the audience to participate in North Carolina’s early voting that began Thursday. Joines said he served as mayor during Donald Trump’s presidency and didn't want to experience that again.
“As bad at that first term was, a second term would be even worse,” Joines said. The mayor said that the Harris-Walz ticket is right for North Carolina voters. State Rep.
Amber Baker, D-Forsyth, also emphasized that former President Donald Trump is the wrong candidate for the state. “We need leadership that shares our values,” Baker said. Democrat Bobby Kimbrough Jr.
, the sheriff of Forsyth County, also praised Kamala Harris for her work as attorney general of California. Kimbrough said he planned to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket on Friday morning. Harris “is a unifier and not a divider,” Kimbrough said.
After Walz spoke for about 20 minutes, people who attended the rally said he delivered an inspiring message. “It was amazing,” Marie Lewis of Kernersville said. “He’s so exciting.
” Before Walz arrived at the Poe Gymnasium at Carver High School, Tom Elsner of Winston-Salem said that Thursday’s event was the first political rally he has ever attended. “I feel strongly about the election,” said Elsner, who said he was a carpenter and member of a group called Blue Collars for Kamala. Ray A.
Cole of Winston-Salem held up a shirt that said, “#Shady D. Vance,” a reference to Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D Vance.
Angela Monell of Winston-Salem said after the rally that Walz made strong points in his speech. “He did a great job,” Monell said. “I’m ready to vote tomorrow.
" Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz campaigns in Winston-Salem Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greets the crowd during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Supporters react as Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage for a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Supporters respond to the message from Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
Carver High School band members cheer the message from Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during a campaign stop at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
A Harris/Walz supporter shows off his "I Voted" sticker during a campaign stop by Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at Carver High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.
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