Ahead of Trump-Harris debate, Minnesota Democrats focus on former president

Ahead of Tuesday’s presidential debate and less than two weeks before early voting begins, Minnesota’s Democratic leaders are keeping their focus on the former president and abortion rights.

Despite Gov. Tim Walz’s nomination as the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate, almost all the talk at a Monday news conference by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and DFL Party Chair Ken Martin was focused on the conservative Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” a collection of policy proposals the think tank wants to see enacted if former President Donald Trump is reelected, and the possibility that abortion would be banned nationwide.

Flanagan said policies like abortion bans are already being enacted in some parts of the country.

“Half the women in this country do not have access to safe, legal abortions,” she said. “We know that because they are coming here.”

The combative tone was a marked contrast to the “politics of joy” chord that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has sought to strike, especially since Walz joined the ticket.

“It is happening right now and we don’t have to wait until day one” of a second Trump administration, Flanagan said.

Tayler Rahm, a senior adviser to Trump’s campaign in Minnesota, said he also expected to see a marked contrast between Harris and Trump.

“I think people tomorrow are going to watch two completely different candidates,” Rahm said Monday.

He said he expected Trump to talk about how prices were lower during his presidency, and about border security and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza that began while Harris has been serving as vice president.

Rahm said whatever policy proposals Harris brings up, he wants to know what she has been doing for three and a half years as vice president to advance them.

The Democrats also attacked Trump on style.

“Just disagreeing on policies is not weird,” Carter said, echoing Walz’s well-worn quip about Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance.

“Going on and on and on about Hannibal Lecter is weird,” Carter said, referring to the fictional horror movie villain Trump has spoken about often in campaign speeches this summer, comparing the movie character to unauthorized immigrants.

Flanagan and Carter both said they anticipated Trump would be disruptive during the debate.