Hot dish 09.04.24

By Ryan Faircloth

Good morning. Gov. Tim Walz is headed to Pennsylvania today for his first solo campaign swing on behalf of the Harris-Walz presidential ticket. My colleague Rochelle Olson writes that the DFL governor will be accompanied by his wife, Gwen Walz, aboard his own campaign plane. Walz will make stops in Lancaster and Pittsburgh before ending his 36-hour visit with a rally in Erie on Thursday night.

Pennsylvania will be a critical battleground in November with its 19 electoral votes up for grabs. Former President Donald Trump flipped Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin red when he was elected in 2016. Four years later, President Joe Biden carried the three states as he won election to the White House.

Walz will seek to continue the campaign’s momentum and galvanize voters in the Keystone State. Trump will also be in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, recording a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Harrisburg that will air later in the evening.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, was in Erie last week.

Vice President Kamala Harris spent Labor Day in Pittsburgh, making her first joint campaign appearance with Biden since she became the nominee. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will visit Allentown, Pa., on Saturday.

MINNESOTA: Who’s running Minnesota while Walz has been on the campaign trail?

Walz has spent little time in his home state since he was selected as Harris’ running mate on Aug. 6. Almost every day since he joined the presidential ticket, the daily schedule published by the governor’s office has said the following: “Governor Tim Walz has no public events scheduled.”

The exceptions were on Aug. 12 and Aug. 26, when Walz’s public schedule showed he would interview candidates for judicial vacancies.

Walz’s chief of staff Chris Schmitter and communications director Teddy Tschann have also joined the Harris-Walz campaign.

The governor’s spokeswoman, Claire Lancaster, said in a statement that “our office is still running as it always has — core functions haven’t changed.” Schmitter continues to work limited hours with the state, “ensuring the Governor always has the latest information from our office and cabinet,” Lancaster said.

“The Governor is still meeting with staff, interviewing judges, and making decisions,” Lancaster said.

Richard Carlbom, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, is overseeing day-to-day management of the office, Lancaster said, and Anne O’Connor is leading the cabinet.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become governor if Harris and Walz are elected to the White House in November. Asked at the State Fair if she’s picking up additional work while Walz campaigns, Flanagan told Fox 9: “I’m picking up additional things here and there, but the governor and I are in constant communication. He knows that his number-one job is still to be the governor of this state.”

“We’re making it work, and he knows what his top priority is, which is Minnesota,” Flanagan said.

AG: Attorney General Keith Ellison has warned more than 5,000 retailers and distributors to stop selling unauthorized flavored tobacco products in Minnesota, my colleague Burl Gilyard reports.

“For decades now, everyone has known the dangers nicotine poses to young people — increased risk of addiction, respiratory problems, even brain damage. Today, I’m asking Minnesota businesses to join me in protecting young people by taking unauthorized products off their shelves — particularly ones that are illegally marketed toward kids — in accordance with federal and state law,” Ellison said in a statement.

DFL FAIR: The Minnesota DFL announced Tuesday that its State Fair booth raised nearly $560,000 in merchandise sales for the party. That more than tripled the party’s previous all-time record of $164,000 raised during the Fair.

“Minnesotans are fired up for the Harris-Walz ticket and they recognize the threat that Donald Trump and JD Vance pose to Minnesota values,” state DFL chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. “There are 63 days left in this election and early voting begins in two weeks – if you want to do something to stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House, the time to sign-up to volunteer is now.”

WHERE’S WALZ: As noted, Walz will be campaigning in Pennsylvania but “has no public events scheduled today.”

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