Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s upcoming visit to Phoenix: 5 questions answered
Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly minted running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will visit Phoenix this week as part of a tour of swing states.
It will be one of their first appearances together on the campaign trail since Harris picked Walz from a shortlist of contenders that also included Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
Arizona Democrats, including Kelly, have praised Walz as a unifying choice and effective messenger for the party’s priorities. Republicans meanwhile have cast him as a “dangerously liberal extremist.”
The event puts Harris on track to break the record for Grand Canyon State visits leading up to a presidential election.
Here’s what you need to know about Harris and Walz’s upcoming visit to Arizona.
Latest news: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Arizona
Where in Arizona will Harris and Walz visit?
Harris and Walz will hold the rally on Friday at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, The Arizona Republic has confirmed.
Their visit is part of a tour of seven battleground states. The pair made their debut Tuesday in Philadelphia, with stops planned in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada for the remainder of the week.
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the Republicans’ vice-presidential nominee, will match that itinerary with a tour of his own. He will make stops in many of the same battleground states to speak with the media and hit Harris on the GOP’s top issues: crime, the economy and immigration.
When is the Harris-Walz rally in Phoenix?
The rally will take place on Friday evening, according to the campaign. They have not announced a specific time.
Harris and Walz are scheduled to arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday evening, after campaigning in Michigan.
Who is Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate?
Walz was elected Minnesota's 41st governor and his tenure began in 2019.
Walz, 60, brings political acuity, suburban-and-rural appeal and progressive patriotism to a competition where all three criteria are seen as helpful for Democrats to clinch a 2024 win against the Republican ticket of former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.
A military veteran, former public-school teacher and six-term congress member, Walz is serving the sixth year of his eight-year stint as governor of the North Star State.
He was born in West Point, Nebraska, and grew up in Valentine, Nebraska. He joined the National Guard at 17 and served for 24 years. He earned a social science degree at Chadron State College in 1989 and a Master of Science in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2001.
He went on as a U.S. representative for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, serving six terms in the House from 2007 to 2019.
As Harris was mulling a vice presidential pick, Walz gained attention for his plain-speaking style and his takedown of Republicans as “weird,” a message that resonated with much of the Democratic base.
How are Arizona politicians reacting to Walz’s candidacy?
Kelly, who was one of the people under consideration as Harris’ running mate, congratulated Walz on his selection.
“They’re already building a campaign to unite our country,” Kelly wrote, saying the ticket is “going to move us forward.”
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., called Walz a “true public servant” with “a strong record of reaching across the aisle to get results for working people.”
Meanwhile Republicans have cast Walz as a “dangerously liberal extremist.”
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has emphasized the 2020 unrest that rocked Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer, Walz’s efforts while governor to cut carbon emissions in Minnesota, and his support for legislation that gave people convicted of a felony the right to vote after they had completed their prison sentence.
How many times has Harris visited Arizona during the election cycle?
With her Friday visit, Harris will tie the record for Grand Canyon State visits during an election year and the year preceding it, according to an Arizona Republic tally of presidential and vice-presidential candidate visits since 1996.
Harris has visited Arizona seven times since the start of 2023, with three months still to spare before the November general election.
Trump made seven visits to Arizona ahead of the 2016 election. Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence visited Arizona another seven times ahead of the 2020 election.
Harris last visited Arizona in late June, for an event held on the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s rollback of the landmark abortion case, Roe vs. Wade.
The USA Today network contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kamala Harris and VP pick Tim Walz to visit Arizona: 5 things to know
