Harris surrogates Eric Holder, Gwen Walz fan out in Wisconsin for campaign stretch run

(Correction: This story was updated to clarify that the Walzes used a fertility treatment called intrauterine insemination, or IUI. An earlier published version referred to their use of in vitro fertilization.)

Just under a month out from the election, Democratic surrogates visited Wisconsin's two largest cities to rally volunteers and warn voters that Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz are in a tight race in Wisconsin with former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance.

Gwen Walz, the wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, spoke with volunteers in Madison, telling them that in the next 27 days, their volunteer work calling voters and knocking doors is more important than ever.

"I know this is hard to believe, especially in this county, but Tim and Kamala are still the underdogs in this race," she said. "I feel confident that we can win and I feel confident that we will win because we have you."

Walz said that up until her husband received the call from Harris asking him to run alongside her, she had been out with her local Democrats knocking on doors in Minnesota. She said she recognizes that the work isn't easy, but it's necessary to have tough conversations with voters, both decided and undecided.

"Wisconsin, you are carrying the world on your shoulders, because this is a must-win area of a must-win state," she said. "And that's a lot."

Walz, at a small event at a campaign office in Madison, also talked about reproductive health and in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Trump has publicly said he would require insurance or the federal government to cover IVF treatments, there are still concerns that a Republican win could put the procedure at risk.

Walz had her two children through a fertility treatment called intrauterine insemination, or IUI. IUI is typically attempted before IVF, but doesn't risk destroying fertilized embryos, and therefore doesn't face the same political scrutiny, according to PBS News.

"It was hard, really hard, but it was so worth it. We cannot imagine our lives without Hope and Gus and we cannot fathom anyone being denied the joys of parenthood," she said. "When it comes to decisions about our own bodies, and our own lives, it's our choice."

She also spoke about Project 2025, which was created by the conservative Heritage Foundation and is considered a guideline for policies that could be enacted if Trump won the election, despite Trump's attempts to distance himself from the document.

"(Project 2025) is an agenda no one is asking for," she said.

Eric Holder campaigns in Milwaukee, expresses concerns about post-election period

Elsewhere Wednesday afternoon, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder joined U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore to speak at Teamsters Local 344 in West Allis. While the national union declined to make an endorsement in the presidential race, local Teamsters did endorse Harris and Walz.

Joint Council 39 President Bill Carroll acknowledged some union members back Trump. "We understand that, but we're still reaching out to them, still letting them know who the best candidate for labor is. The choice is very clear," he said.

Holder, who led the Department of Justice in the Obama administration between 2009 and 2015, expressed concerns that Trump would bring the department "directly under his control" by replacing civil servants with loyalists and investigating political opponents. He drew a contrast between Trump and other Republican presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

"I might have had my disagreements with them," Holder said. "But I think that at the end of the day, they respected the rule of law. There were guardrails beyond which they would not go. That is not the case with Donald Trump."

Holder said he's worried about the post-election period if Trump loses, but added lawyers are prepared to confront any legal challenges that arise.

"I'm very concerned what a legitimate win by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will mean to a defeated Donald Trump. He thinks that any election he doesn't win is rigged. That's the bottom line," Holder said. "I think you need to be prepared for anything."

More: Despite endorsement, Wisconsin Teamsters' rank-and-file not solidly behind Kamala Harris

Surrogates spread out across Wisconsin in final weeks

Democrats are sending surrogates to campaign in Wisconsin as Harris campaigns in other states. As the clock ticks down to the election, the number of visits has gone up as big-name Democrats try to encourage voters and volunteers across the states at events both large and small.

Republicans are pushing back on the "liberal agenda."

More: Trump surrogates on 'Agenda 47' Milwaukee tour stop downplay talk of Project 2025

Jacob Fischer, the Team Trump Wisconsin communications director, said in a statement that Wisconsin "cannot afford" to elect Harris and Walz to the White House.

"Gwen stood on the sidelines as her husband let Minnesota burn and be crushed by radical far-left policies, and Americans won’t let him rinse and repeat the disaster nationwide. President Trump and Senator Vance will lower taxes, secure our border, and put hardworking Americans first, while Harris and Walz champion disastrous policies that would bankrupt our country," he said.  "In November, Wisconsinites will vote to Make America Great Again and send President Donald J. Trump back to the White House."

The Harris campaign announced Wednesday that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders would speak with voters in Superior and Baraboo on Saturday. Sanders is also expected to appear with Power to the Polls on Monday in Milwaukee, according to a registration link.

Laura Schulte can be reached at [email protected] and on X at @SchulteLaura. Hope Karnopp can be reached at [email protected] and on X at @hopekarnopp.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Holder, Gwen Walz fan out in Wisconsin for Kamala Harris