Tim Walz formally accepted his nomination as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the November U.S. election, rallying the party faithful in Chicago with a message of freedom and hope.
“It is the honor of my life to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States,” Walls said Wednesday as he took the stage at the end of the third day of the Democratic National Convention. “We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country.
Wallace, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota, was a relative unknown until Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate two weeks ago.
Walls spoke about his upbringing, his National Guard service and his experience as a teacher in a town of just 400 people in Nebraska.
Attacking Republicans who rolled back abortion rights, he emphasized the importance of protecting individual liberties, and in his experience most Americans viewed such issues as private matters.
“We respect our neighbors and the individual choices they make,” he said of his Midwestern community. “Even though we don’t make those choices for ourselves, we have a rule: ‘Mind your own business.’
The crowd, many holding signs reading “Coach Walls” and chanting about him coaching football, cheered and waved.
Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton took the stage as the theme for the third day of the Freedom Convention, as well as celebrities from singers Stevie Wonder to John Legend to comedian Mindy Kaling and media personality Oprah Winfrey.
‘Dignity and Respect’
While the message was overwhelmingly optimistic, as speakers endorsed Harris and Walls, there were also plenty of swipes at Trump, who has been portrayed as vain and self-obsessed.
“Next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the nines,” Clinton, now 78, told the crowd.
Winfrey, who later described herself as an independent, was met with deafening cheers as she walked on stage.
He rallied the crowd with a powerful endorsement of democracy and the need to get out the vote.
“I’m calling out to all of you independents and undecideds,” Winfrey said. “Values and character matter in leadership and in life. Dignity and respect are on the ballot in 2024.
Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew last month.
The convention also features many Republicans who have turned against Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021.
On Wednesday, Democrats drew attention to a January 6, 2021, video showing Trump calling on supporters to stay strong and fight back before storming the U.S. Capitol to block Biden’s 2020 victory.
The delegates sat in stunned silence, a stark contrast to their roars and applause throughout the night.
Olivia Troy, who stepped down from Trump’s White House national security post after the Capitol attack, said the Republican nominee is laying the groundwork to undermine the 2024 election.
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan spoke live on camera to fellow Republicans watching from home to “put Trump down.”
“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot,” he said.
Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who was Speaker of the House at the time of the Capitol attack, said: “Let’s not forget who attacked democracy on January 6: He did. But let us not forget who saved democracy that day: we did.
Harris, 59, is set to formally accept his nomination on Thursday, when he will address the conference on the convention’s final night.
