‘We are the underdogs’: Harris introduces her running mate Tim Walz to fired-up Philadelphia crowd

(PHILADELPHIA) — Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced presidential campaign running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, took the stage to a roaring crowd in Philadelphia Tuesday in their first joint public appearance where, together, they took aim at what they called Trump’s “backward agenda” for America.

Hundreds of supporters waited in lines outside the Liacouras Center at Temple University, which has a capacity of 10,000 people, for the event and packed the arena.

That crowd gave Walz and Harris a lengthy standing ovation as they took the stage to the song “Freedom” by Beyoncé.

Walz and Harris hit the stage touting an agenda of unifying the country, working for all Americans, and sharing their vision in comparison to the conservative policies being pushed by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.

“We need to level set; we are the underdogs in this race, but we have the momentum, and I know exactly what we are up against,” she said.

Harris said her campaign is not just a fight against Trump but a “fight for the future.”

Harris talked up Walz to the crowd and told them about her decision to choose the Minnesota governor as her running mate.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” she said. “So, Pennsylvania, I’m here today because I found such a leader.”

The vice president focused on Walz’s time as a high school teacher and football coach as she introduced him to supporters, repeatedly referring to him as “Coach Walz,” which prompted the crowd to repeat that title.

“The nation will know Coach Walz by another name, vice president of the United States,” she said.

Harris spoke about how Walz, while working as a teacher and coach, became a faculty advisor for his school’s student LGTBQ group and how his care for others has been a hallmark of his time in office.

The vice president reiterated that she and Walz are committed to protecting women’s reproductive rights and restoring rights that were taken away after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“With Tim Walz by my side when I am president of the United States, [and] we win majorities in the United States Congress, we will pass a bill to restore reproductive freedom, and I will proudly sign it into law,” she said.

Harris noted that she and Walz “may hail from different corners of our great country, but our values are the same, and we both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down.”

“When we look at folks, we see in our fellow Americans neighbors, not enemies,” she said.

Walz touted Harris’ experience as a prosecutor, senator and vice president during his speech. stating that she “fought on the side of the American people.”

“She took on predators and fraudsters, took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests, she’s never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people’s lives. And — she brings joy to everything she does,” he said.

The governor spoke highly about his time as a teacher and how that pushed him to run for office.

“It was my students. They encouraged me to run for office. They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them – a commitment of common good, a belief that one person can make a difference,” he said.

“These same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students, I took to Congress and the state capital, and now, Vice President Harris and I are running to take them to the White House,” he added.

Walz took several shots at Trump, contending the former president’s policies while in office hurt Americans.

“He drove our economy into the ground. And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” he said.

“He never sat at that kitchen table, like the one I grew up at, wondering how we were going to pay the bills. He sat at his country club in Mar-a-Lago wondering how he can cut taxes for his rich friends,” Walz said.

Walz also took a few jabs at his opponent JD Vance, noting that the senator shares Trump’s “dangerous and backward agenda for this country.”

The governor contended that despite Vance’s talk about his rural upbringing, his career was funded by “Silicon Valley billionaires.”

“I got to tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy, that is if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” Walz said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was in the running for the vice presidential spot on the ticket before Walz was chosen, received a huge standing ovation from the crowd as he took the stage before Walz and Harris spoke.

“I want you to know I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you as your governor,” he told the crowd.

He also touted Harris’ record, contending she is “battle-tested and ready to go.”

Shapiro went on to criticize Trump for his role in dismantling reproductive rights and warned that if the former president is re-elected, more restrictions could come.

“Let me tell you something: I am not going back,” he said to the crowd.

Shapiro also lauded Walz, calling him a “great patriot” and “dear friend.”

“I think it is fitting and special for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to launch their campaign here in Philly, the city of brotherly love, and importantly, they chose to launch their campaign right here in the birthplace of real freedom,” he said.

Walz, during his speech, praised Shapiro as a “visionary leader” and a “guy who cares deeply about his family, a man with compassion [and] vision.”

“There is no one you would rather go to a Springsteen concert in Jersey with than him,” Walz said as the audience shouted, “Bruce.”

The rally ended with the candidates’ spouses, second gentleman Doug Emoff and Minnesota first lady Gwen, taking the stage and waving to the cheering crowd.

Tuesday’s Harris-Walz event kicks off a five-day campaign road trip that will visit seven crucial swing states.

The vice president and Walz are scheduled to visit Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas this week.