'The blue wall must hold': Gov. Tim Walz rallies in Wisconsin, Michigan on eve of election

MILWAUKEE – Gov. Tim Walz made his final pitch for a Kamala Harris presidency on Monday to voters in the critical "blue wall" states of Wisconsin and Michigan, which Harris must almost certainly win to be elected.

The DFL governor's final vice-presidential campaign swing went through La Crosse, Stevens Point, Milwaukee and Detroit. Walz will make his last campaign stop of the election in Harrisburg, Pa., on Tuesday morning before departing to Washington, D.C., for an election night watch party at Howard University, Harris' alma mater.

A roaring crowd greeted Walz at his campaign rally in Milwaukee early in the evening, frequently chanting, "We're not going back!" Walz told the crowd that women's rights are at stake in this election. He addressed the men in the room directly.

"Let me speak with the guys in this room. I want you to think about the women in your life that you love. Their lives are literally at stake in this election," Walz said. "More than 20 states now have abortion bans, and our daughters and those loved ones you're thinking of now have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers."

A glaring gender gap could define this year's presidential election, with polls showing women favoring Harris by large margins while former President Donald Trump has the advantage among men. A Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll conducted in September found that 59% of women said they'd vote for Harris and 53% of men were supporting Trump.

At an outdoor rally in downtown Detroit late Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer fired up the crowd before Walz took the stage, saying "we deserve leaders who know us and see us."

"Tomorrow, let's turn the page and chart a new way forward," Whitmer said. "... Together, we'll win this thing and put Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the White House."

Walz told the Detroit crowd that women across America "are going to send a loud and clear message to Donald Trump, whether he likes it or not."

As Walz and his family left Minnesota early Monday, more than 100 supporters — including top Democrats such as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar — lined up to give him a send-off. Walz greeted and embraced many of his supporters in an emotional goodbye before getting on the plane.

Klobuchar traveled with Walz to La Crosse and gave opening remarks at the event there, praising the governor: "In the Midwest, we love a dad in plaid."

Klobuchar also sought to make the case for Harris, saying she'd be a president focused on getting things done. Trump, on the other hand, would be focused on his "enemies list," Klobuchar said.

The presidential election is headed toward a nail-biting end with polls showing Harris and Trump closely matched in most battleground states. Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are once again expected to play a decisive role. Trump won the three states in 2016 before they flipped to President Joe Biden in 2020.

"The blue wall must hold," Walz said Monday afternoon to a lively crowd at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Wisconsin and Michigan are familiar territory for the Minnesota governor. Democrats have hoped Walz's folksy demeanor and background as a former soldier, teacher and football coach would boost Harris' appeal in Midwest swing states.

The governor mixed in riffs about the Midwest during his Wisconsin speeches, giving a shout out to Kwik Trip and joking about the small size of the Nebraska town where he grew up.

Walz said it's possible Wisconsin will decide the election.

"I have one request for you Wisconsin: Win this thing for America," he said.

Walz would be in historic company if he and Harris win on Tuesday. He would join Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale as Minnesotans who ascended to the vice presidency.

Trump's running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, held his own rally in La Crosse on Monday. He said "tomorrow is the big day when we are going to vote in very big numbers in the state of Wisconsin."

"We're going to win this thing," he said.

Vance also jokingly asked rally goers to pray for Walz.

"He's got to go around and convince the American people that Kamala Harris can be the president of the United States. That's tough work," Vance said.