MINNEAPOLIS— As Election Day nears, the competition for undecided voters is heating up in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with both vice presidential candidates visiting the area.
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance made his second campaign stop in Minneapolis, while Gov. Tim Walz visited Eau Claire, marking his fifth trip to Wisconsin as part of the Democratic ticket.
Vance aimed to attend a private fundraiser because the Trump-Vance team has had trouble matching Harris and Walz’s fundraising, which has garnered over $1 billion.
Following the fundraising event, his motorcade proceeded to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct, which was destroyed during the 2020 riots after George Floyd’s murder. Vance met with former officers who were on duty during the riots, with one describing it as akin to being in a war zone. Vance criticized Walz for neglecting the officers.
“What was Gov. Tim Walz doing to keep these officers safe and to bring order to the City of Minneapolis? The answer is absolutely nothing,” Vance said. “I talk to the president every day. Right now, we are feeling very, very good where we are,” Vance said. “We think we have the momentum. We think, frankly, even without the momentum, if the election were held today, we would win.”
In Minnesota, Vice President Kamala Harris is seven points ahead of former President Donald Trump.
Former President Trump and JD Vance criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for his response to the violence following George Floyd’s murder, despite Trump previously agreeing with Walz’s handling of the situation.
“What they did in Minneapolis was incredible,” Trump said to Walz and other governors in a phone call on June 1, 2020. “They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately,”
Other administration officials on the call included Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Attorney General William Barr.
However, Vance believes the Trump-Vance ticket can win Minnesota, a state that hasn’t voted Republican since 1972 despite Trump’s close 2016 result.
The campaign has not revealed details about the fundraiser, while Democratic candidate Walz encouraged University of Wisconsin students to engage in the upcoming election.
Early voting is underway right now in Minnesota, and it will begin next week in Wisconsin.
