Minnesota governor Tim Walz made his first solo appearance as Kamala Harris' running mate Tuesday at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees International Convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center, telling the audience that "when unions are strong, America is strong.''
Walz described himself as a "the first union member on a presidential ticket since Ronald Reagan,'' adding, ``But rest assured, I won't lose my way.''
Walking briskly on stage to the strains of John Mellencamp's blue-collar anthem "Small Town,'' Walz was met with loud applause from members of the trade union.
"AFSCME stands for the American worker,'' the vice presidential contender said, one week after Harris named him as her running mate. "AFSCME stands for what's right.''
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Walz touched on his military service and his years as a card-carrying union member as a Minnesota public school teacher. He also blasted former president Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, for what he said was their poor record of support for working-class Americans.
"Donald Trump and JD Vance see the world very differently than we do,'' he said. "The only thing those guys know about working people is how to take advantage of them.''
Vance, Walz said, "is one of four senators who've never cast a vote on a pro-worker bill once.''
Walz is set to speak later Tuesday afternoon at a fundraising reception in Newport Beach, with ticket prices ranging from $1,000 to $100,000, according to the invitation.
Attorney Wylie Aitken, a major fundraiser for Democrats in Orange County who is one of the event's co-hosts, said he has been "blown away by the enthusiasm'' for Walz's appearance in Newport Beach.
"I've never had an event, frankly, where there is so much enthusiasm, to the extent where we've sold out and we're telling people we can't help them,'' Aitken said. "I've never seen us turn away so much money. ... It's a measure of the enthusiasm for Kamala and her vice president.''
Aitken said former President Barack Obama's visit to Newport Beach when he was running for president in 2008 generated a great deal of enthusiasm as well, but in that case there was much more time to plan for it. The quick turnaround of this campaign lends the event a different level of enthusiasm, he said.
The Republican Party of Orange County issued a statement criticizing Walz regarding his record in the Minnesota National Guard. Walz, who served in the National Guard for 24 years, has come under fire from Republican vice
presidential nominee Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat correspondent from 2003 to 2007, before retiring months before his unit deployed to Iraq.
"It's a slap in the face to Orange County veterans for Tim Walz to fundraise off stolen valor in a community with over 100,000 veterans,'' the county GOP contended. ``He's lied his entire career that he served in combat in Afghanistan when in truth he's never stepped foot on the battlefield.
"When he was called to war, he left his unit to run for Congress. Then he lied again about his rank as `Command Sergeant Major.' When JD Vance was called to Iraq in the Marines, he was the first in. When Tim Walz was called to Iraq in the National Guard, he was the first to run.''
Walz, 60, served as a command sergeant major, but officially retired a rank lower because he had not completed some courses required for the higher rank.
Orange County Republican Party Chairman Fred Whitaker added, "As a son of a World War II combat veteran, it's disgusting that Walz would use the sacrifice of our service members for his political gain, especially after he
cut and run when called to deploy into Iraq.
"From the Lyon Air Museum and Veterans Memorial in Orange to Heroes Hall in Costa Mesa and Sid Goldstein Freedom Park in Westminster, Orange County honors our veterans. Tim Walz does not belong here and his stolen valor is not welcome in Orange County. He may walk away heavy with campaign cash from liberal donors but he will leave with the same empty and fake record he came in with.''
Nick Berardino, president of the Veterans Alliance of Orange County and who served in combat with the Marines in Vietnam, including the Tet Offensive, objected to the criticism.
"As a combat veteran, we must respect every man and woman who has worn the uniform,'' Berardino told City News Service. "Our success on the battlefield as well as nationally is based upon a team of heroes that do a thousand different jobs to protect our freedom. On foreign soil and at home.''
Berardino said he has heard a lot of different takes on the issue.
"I've heard from many veterans,'' he said. "There's certainly a variety of opinions. But in the end every veteran like me that has been in combat gets on their knees every day to thank God for all those who are in the rear with the gear supporting us and keeping us as safe as possible.''
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who will attend the fundraiser, criticized the county Republican Party's statement on Walz.
"As a granddaughter and sister of military veterans who served in combat and on base, it's sad that GOP Chairman Whitaker decided to parrot Trump's lies and smear the countless veterans who serve in essential non-combat roles,'' Foley said.
"Gov. Walz has a clear record supporting veterans while in the National Guard and during his time in office,'' Foley added. "Importantly, as the lead House sponsor for the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, Gov. Walz worked to stem veterans suicide by funding suicide prevention programs, requiring an analysis and report of program effectiveness, and incentives for psychiatrists who agree to join the VA medical system. All helpful for a critically important issue for all veterans, and similar to a program I initiated at the county to close a gap in services here.''
Meanwhile, Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill wrote on social media, "As the Mayor of Newport Beach, a City with a 7-0 Republican City Council, I welcome Governor Walz to spend time with our City leadership while he's dipping into some of our residents' pockets.
"We will showcase a city that didn't defund the police, that embraces conservative economic values, that decreases debt and increases quality of life, that did not allow protestors to burn out local businesses, and that cares about human flourishing.
"If Governor Walz is as interested in learning policy from a well-run city as he is in political donations, my door will be open.''
The Newport Beach fundraiser will be the first in a series of five fundraisers in five states in three days for Walz. He is also set to speak at fundraisers Wednesday in Denver and Boston, and Thursday in Newport, Rhode Island, and Southampton, New York.
