'Country over party': VP candidate Tim Walz campaigns with mayor in closely watched Waukesha

WAUKESHA – With eight days until the election, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz sought to reach voters Monday in conservative-leaning Waukesha County.

In the traditionally Republican stronghold, Walz joined Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, who recently endorsed Kamala Harris and Walz over former President Donald Trump and switched from Republican to independent after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack of the U.S. Capitol.

Walz and Reilly spoke to about two dozen supporters from the patio of a downtown Waukesha coffee shop, Copilot Coffee Co., under a banner that read "Country Over Party." Campaign events in Ripon and Brookfield featuring Harris and former Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney have used the same slogan.

Walz urged supporters to turn out to vote, including those for whom voting Democratic "may not be politically easy."

“This thing is going to be close. It’s going to be a few votes per precinct, but the energy’s out there,” Walz said. "You are quite literally living in one of a handful of a states that will make the difference in what this country looks like, not just for four years, but the next 40 years."

Walz courts Republican voters in Waukesha

In his speech, Walz framed the election as a chance to protect democracy and Trump as a "dangerous man." He listed Reilly among other Republicans who have come out against Trump, including Cheney and Gens. Mark Milley and John Kelly.

More: Wisconsin Republicans announce their plans to vote for Kamala Harris

"We can have differences on policy, but the core values of democracy are absolutely unwavering," Walz said. "This is about the Constitution, it's about decency, it's about finding common ground to solve the problems that Americans are looking for."

Walz said Trump’s Republican Party was “fundamentally different" than the party of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, highlighting Nixon's support for the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, and Reagan's efforts to bring down the Iron Curtain.“The Republican Party has contributed much to this country,” Walz said. “They’ve been there on issues that made a difference.”

He criticized a recent comment from Trump that the U.S. is a "garbage can for the rest of the world to dump the people that they don't want." And he referenced Trump's rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden, which has drawn criticism for speakers' racist rhetoric.

“Their closing argument last night was clear to the rest of the world: It’s about hate, it’s about division,” Walz said.

Waukesha mayor pledges support for Harris-Walz ticket

Polling has shown a tightening race between Harris and Trump across the battleground states. Democrats are working to shore up support in the so-called “Blue Wall” states, which also include Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Waukesha County voters are highly coveted, as they live in one of the traditionally deep red suburban counties surrounding Milwaukee where Democrats have made inroads in recent years.

In April's GOP presidential primary, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won about 14% of the vote in Waukesha County even though she had dropped out of the race.

Reilly told the crowd Monday that the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was a "true turning point," and that he felt it was important to speak out against Trump.

"I know I will not support all the policies and programs of (Harris and Walz), but I do know our democracy and our country will survive with Harris and Walz in office," Reilly said. "Electing them is in the best interest of our nation."

Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Brian Schimming issued a statement responding to Walz's visit.

“Try as he may, Tim Walz cannot explain away or distract voters from the last four years of high inflation, open borders, and conflict overseas. He and Kamala Harris have nothing to offer but a repeat of the failed Biden administration," he said.

Walz stopped in Waukesha after speaking to supporters in northeast Wisconsin at Manitowoc Pattern and Machining. Also Monday, Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance was campaigning in Wausau and Racine. It is among a slate of campaign visits from both presidential tickets in the run-up to the election.

Harris will be at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday. Trump has scheduled rallies in Green Bay on Wednesday and at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Friday.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tim Walz urges voter turnout at event with Waukesha's Shawn Reilly