Takeaways from dueling Kamala Harris, JD Vance political events in Eau Claire

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz brought their swing state tour to western Wisconsin on Wednesday, touting their "joyful warrior" energy as they rallied the Eau Claire crowd.

The visit came just one day after Harris tapped Walz as her running mate, and two weeks after the vice president's last campaign stop in Wisconsin.

It was also the same day that Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance made his first official campaign stop in Wisconsin since former President Donald Trump tapped the Ohio senator to be his running mate. Vance decided to stop in Eau Claire near Harris and Walz's rally.

Here are six takeaways from Eau Claire's day in the national political spotlight:

Kamala Harris, Tim Walz present themselves as ‘joyful warriors’

“As Tim Walz likes to point out, we are joyful warriors,” Harris told the crowd in Eau Claire. “Because we know that while fighting for a brighter future may be hard work, hard work is good work … and so we will continue to fight for affordable housing, for affordable health care, affordable child care and paid leave.”

Walz, during the duo’s Tuesday rally in Pennsylvania launching his candidacy, thanked Harris for “bringing back the joy.”

The path to victory in November runs through Wisconsin, Harris said, framing the campaign as a “fight for the future.”

“We're all here because we love our country,” Harris said. “And I do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country, and that's how we preserve the promise of America.”

Harris, Walz repeat refrain: ‘We’re not going back”

“We settle our political differences not through violence, but through our votes,” Walz said, arguing Trump would repeal the Affordable Care Act and restrict access to abortion throughout the country. “The question is pretty simple. This election is all about asking that question: which direction will this country go in? Donald Trump knows the direction he wants to take us. He wants to take it back.”

As a teacher, Walz said, “I know bullies, and I'm not a name caller,” but dubbed Vance and Trump “creepy and weird as hell.”

“We’re sure the hell not going back,” Walz said.

The campaign, Harris said, has to be”a fight for the future and a fight for freedom … across our nation,”

“We have been witnessing a full-on assault against hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights,” Harris said. “The freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body.”

Traffic jams and long lines for rallygoers

It can be tough to measure voter enthusiasm in the lead up to an election. But the traffic jams, massive lines and long waits for rallygoers in Eau Claire on Wednesday — with some people reporting waits of two hours or more — are all good signs for Democrats when it comes to voter excitement.

At one point, a line of cars stretched well over a mile past the venue down 60th Ave, with an Uber 10 minutes away costing more than $118. Many decided to get out of their cars and walk at least half an hour to the rally.

Emily Wirth of Milwaukee said she waited more than 90 minutes in line and saw many cars turn around to leave.

“We got redirected a few times, it was definitely chaotic,” Wirth said, adding that she was still excited to hear from Harris and Walz.

The Harris/ Walz campaign estimated turnout at more than 12,000 people, which is a stark contrast to the smaller crowds at President Joe Biden’s previous visits to Wisconsin this year.

Bon Iver performs for Harris campaign, following Megan Thee Stallion at Atlanta rally

Grammy award-winning indie folk band Bon Iver performed a set of four songs for the crowd. The group, led by Eau Claire-born-and-based singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, has supported progressive causes over the years, including a 2018 show in Madison supporting U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The performance is the latest from a musical powerhouse on the Harris campaign trail, following Megan Thee Stallion at her Atlanta rally. Vernon addressed the crowd before the band’s last song.

“This is a pretty good showing for Wisconsin, I’d say,” Vernon said. “We all know what we’re here for, so we’re going to do our thing, make this music, and make way for the people we need to hear from.”

After playing “Towers,” “666” and Flume,” Bon Iver closed with its own interpretation of "The Battle Cry of Freedom,” also known as “Rally Round The Flag,” the song written by George F. Root during the U.S. Civil War as a rally cry for Unionism and abolition.

There were definitely fans of Bon Iver and Vernon in the crowd.

“For him to come back and support the Democratic Party like this, it’s really impressive,” said Alyssa Van Duyse, 47. “He’s been like this for as long as the Chippewa Valley has known him.”

Needless to say, the campaign is drawing different musicians and celebrities than those at rallies and events for former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, for example, featured performances by Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood.

JD Vance was nearby, and apparently scoping out Air Force Two

During Vance's stop in Eau Claire, which was just miles away from the rally, he slammed Harris shortly before Walz took the stage to introduce the vice president. Vance accused Harris of avoiding media interviews and running a "basement campaign."

She "deserves to be fired" instead of promoted to president, he said at the event, which was essentially a news conference with local media.

Vance also told reporters that he especially noticed Air Force Two at the airport when his plane landed.

"I went over there because I thought it might be nice to check out this plane that's going to be mine in a few months if we all take care of business, and I think we will," he said.

The Tim Walz ‘hotdish’ effect

People sometimes overestimate how much a vice presidential candidate’s home state actually matters — and underestimate the amount of harm a running mate can do to a presidential campaign.

But Walz could actually help Harris win, political observers say.

“Just by existing, he's not going to win the Midwest or anywhere else,” said Julia Azari, a Marquette University political science professor and director of the Civic Dialogues program there. “What I think is distinct is that he's a good campaigner.”

She said adding somebody to the ticket who has campaign skills and has won a lot of elections “helps you get picked.”

"And I think that that campaign skill is a sort of underappreciated element, as we get sort of bogged down in things like geography and demographics," Azari said. "And I think that's what we're seeing with Walz is that he is pretty skilled at turning Midwestern identity into a nationally appealing campaign message."

She added, "I'm seeing people who have probably never been in Minnesota, sharing memes about hotdish and stuff like that."

A number of voters drove across the border from Minnesota for a chance to see their governor on stage. Lutheran pastor Scott Richards, 53, of Gaylord, Minn., wore a rainbow-colored “Kamala” shirt.

“It’s just amazing to think somebody who has served us so well but really hasn’t been known on the national stage finally get that chance in the spotlight, actually it’s kind a regional honor, of course you almost have to be here.”

Richards said he would’ve come to the rally anyway, but finding out Harris selected Walz as VP was “icing on the cake.” He attended a St. Paul Obama rally the night he cinched the nomination in 2008 and said the energy on Wednesday was similar.

“What is happening right now in the Democratic party, it is the only time that I have felt the same way, the level of engagement, energy, enthusiasm, the spirit of it all. It’s like a repeat of Obama in 2008.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from dueling Harris, Vance political events in Eau Claire