Walz flies solo in southern Pennsylvania, stopping at volunteer campaign office, orchard and farm

DAWSON, Pa. - Gov. Tim Walz completed his first solo campaign swing Wednesday for the presidential ticket led by Vice President Kamala Harris, stopping for baked goods, ice cream, a chat session with volunteers and a picturesque farm ringed by wildflowers in rural Fayette County.

The governor’s daughter, Hope, accompanied him on the trip that began with a morning flight in the charter Harris-Walz-branded Boeing 737-800 from Minneapolis to Lancaster, Pa., where he stopped at an orchard and a campaign office.

It’s been just over a month since Harris made Walz her surprise choice as a running mate. He’s been rebranded as “Coach Walz” and “America’s dad” — at least for hopeful Democrats. The second-term governor has stepped into the role as a joyful campaigner, running on the record of accomplishment by the Minnesota DFL in the last two legislative sessions.

“There is deliberate effort by some people to make them believe that things are pessimistic,” he told the Democratic campaign volunteers in a Lancaster basement. “Every time I hear Donald Trump give a speech, it’s like the next screenplay for Mad Max or something. They are rooting against America.”

The governor’s stops were well-orchestrated and kept the media at arm’s length but close enough to capture photos and hear chitchat. He did not take media questions even though one reporter called out to him at the Lancaster campaign office, asking what the Harris-Walz administration would do about “lowering prices.”

The governor didn’t respond, and an aide admonished reporters not to interfere with the event.

He addressed more than 20 volunteers by first acknowledging pain from the school shooting in Georgia. ”So I know it’s a little bit of a heavy heart for all of us, if you think about it, but it’s the work you’re doing,” he said. “Thanks to each and every one of you. We come bearing gifts, apple cider donuts.”

His comments to the campaign workers touched only briefly on policy, saying the Harris-Walz agenda includes reproductive care, good public schools, infrastructure and jobs that pay a livable wage.

Walz also noted that Minnesota and Pennsylvania have a lot in common, but “Super Bowl rings is not one of them.”

As he moved through the room, volunteers handed him their phones to chat with voters himself. “Tim Walz here, how are you doing?” he said. “I hope we can earn your vote.”

The governor’s two-day trip included the two stops in Lancaster, a farm outside Pittsburgh and was to culminate Thursday in Erie, in northwestern Pennsylvania. Walz’s aim is to bring in reluctant voters, or voters at the margins who aren’t yet decided.

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also are spending lots of time in Pennsylvania, as is Harris. The state has 19 coveted electoral votes that both parties consider crucial to capturing the 270 electoral votes needed to win in November. Pennsylvania is among 18 “blue wall” states that Democrats won in every presidential election from 1992 through 2012.

The scope and size of the Harris-Walz campaign operation was exponentially bigger than anything seen in Minnesota, including the 200-some volunteers at the roadside near the airport where Walz landed in Lancaster. One carried a sign that read “Trump for Prison” and another’s read, “Teachers for Walz.”

Pennsylvania State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El greeted the Walz plane as it landed in Lancaster and came along to campaign stops, saying that when Democrats win in Lancaster County, they win elections. “The voters here, we make sure Pennsylvania goes the way we want,” he said.

Asked to share his thoughts on Walz, Smith-Wade-El shared an exuberant, “I love this guy.” The legislator praised the work Walz did in Minnesota, governing with a one-vote majority in the Senate and passing free meals for school kids among other things that showcased Democratic values in both the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions. He said Walz was “making things better for working people.”

The governor’s giant motorcade swelled with more than 20 vehicles that included vans carrying staff, media and security. To get to the day’s final stop, Maple Bottom Farm near Dawson, the motorcade snaked more than 90 minutes through verdant rolling hills, freeways and two-lane roads.

State troopers and police vehicles escorted the entire motorcade with lights and sirens, blocking off freeway entrances to keep other vehicles off the roadways.

The governor was dressed to move in casual khakis, a navy blue polo shirt and a camouflage baseball cap. His daughter wore a similar camouflage cap with the Harris-Walz logo stitching.

Former President Trump was also in Pennsylvania Wednesday, with Fox News host Sean Hannity for a town hall with a focus on immigration. There, Trump repeatedly turned his focus from Harris to President Joe Biden, calling Democrats’ substitution of their top candidate “a coup” and saying he would have preferred a debate with Harris, rather than the town hall.

Asked about next week’s debate, Trump repeated his former criticism of ABC as a “dishonest” and “unfair” network, also reiterating his previous claims that Harris’ campaign is “going to get the questions in advance.”

Walz’s first stop of the day was a quick five minutes at Cherry Hill Orchards in Lancaster, a shop featuring rows of fresh-baked whoopie pies, cakes and donuts as well as fragrant fresh-picked strawberries. He and Hope loaded up on baked goods, sharing them with volunteers and his entourage.

“I have no problem picking out donuts,” Walz said. He asked one woman how many donuts she makes every day. She responded, “Dozens and dozens.”

After noon, the governor and his entourage got back on the plane to fly to Pittsburgh where upon landing, he made a quick stop at the Milk Shake Factory in a Moon Township strip mall, acquiring a mint and chocolate cookie shake as well as chocolate covered pretzels. He was in the store for five minutes before everyone piled back into the vans for the trip to the farm.

At Maple Bottom Farm, Walz met with the owner, Vickie Baker. She showed him around and he bottle-fed a small Guernsey calf.

“There you go, sweetie,” he said as he held the bottle. When the calf struggled to drink, Walz adjusted and encouraged it again, “You’re so close, sweetie. I was making you work too hard.”

Baker told Walz they don’t process the milk themselves, that Arden Hills, Minn.-based Land O’ Lakes collects it every other week and processes it for cheese and ice cream.

Walz was provided more ice cream in a large cup — butter pecan — as the owners talked about stressors such as land prices, infrastructure and labor. Baker told Walz she works a job off the farm to pay the mortgage and provide health care for the family. “And if I didn’t have to go back to work, I wouldn’t,” she said.

This story includes information from the Associated Press.