Vance, Walz back in Wisconsin for final day of campaigning

With less than 24 hours until Election Day, both vice presidential candidates are back in Wisconsin for a final day of campaigning.

Republican U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio kicked off Monday by rallying voters in downtown La Crosse for former President Donald Trump. He’s also scheduled to appear in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania on Monday.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota held his own event in La Crosse two hours later to support Vice President Kamala Harris. Walz is also making stops in Stevens Point and Milwaukee on Monday.

Vance urges Wisconsinites to turn out to vote on Tuesday

Speaking to supporters at the La Crosse Center, Vance focused much of his message on criticizing Harris for what he described as a declining America during the Biden administration. 

He repeatedly blamed illegal immigration for the country’s economic problems, including driving up the cost of housing and burdening the health care system.

Vance said his message to undecided voters in the final hours of the election is, “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“You don’t have to agree with everything that I say, every policy proposal that we have,” Vance said. “You don’t have to agree with everything that Donald J. Trump says. But what we know is that when Donald Trump was president, you could afford to pay your bills.”

He said Trump would crack down on illegal immigration and help bring about “a golden age of American prosperity.”

Vance urged Wisconsin voters to plan ahead for getting to the polls on Election Day, seeming to acknowledge the close margin that will likely decide the presidential race in Wisconsin.

“What would you do differently over the next 24 hours if you knew that we were going to lose by 90 votes?” Vance asked supporters. “Because that is what you should be doing.”

The latest Marquette University Law School poll showed Harris and Trump in a dead heat at the end of October, with 50 percent of poll respondents saying they plan to vote for Harris and 49 percent reporting they plan to vote for Trump.

Walz: Democrats have momentum in race

Walz appeared along with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and supporters of the Democratic ticket. The former high school football coach used a gridiron analogy about the election.

“We’re in the fourth quarter, folks, and there’s two minutes left,” he said. “And the momentum’s on our side because we’ve got the damn ball. We’ve got the best quarterback in Kamala Harris. And in this room, we got the best team blocking and tackling for us. We control our destiny.”

Walz touched on points of his stump speech, promising to fight for abortion rights for women and health care for all, and to try to end school shootings. And in a speech mostly aimed at firing up supporters, he took a few shots at Republican former President Donald Trump, including one that also counseled patience in waiting for election results.

“Look, just tell yourself how great it’s going to be,” he said. “We get this thing done — and it may take a little bit here. We’ve got patience, our system is secure, our elections are safe. We’ll get this right (and) we will win. And when that thing is done, we’re not ever going to have to see this guy on TV again.”

The Harris campaign has rapidly built public support since she became the Democratic nominee in July, taking over from President Joe Biden in the wake of his poor debate performance. Walz said voters should consider the campaign’s success as a sign of a bright future.

“Look at the movement, and look at the energy that Kamala Harris has built in 107 days,” Walz said. “Imagine what she can do for the next eight years.”

Wisconsin voters say they’re eager for Election Day

Caleb Reuhs traveled from Germantown to see Vance in La Crosse after he wasn’t able to attend Trump’s rally in Milwaukee on Friday. 

Reuhs, 19, said he was eager to vote in his first election and already cast his ballot on the first day of early voting. He said the economy is the biggest issue for him in this year’s election, especially rising consumer prices and the stability of Social Security in the future.

“We need some serious legislation that will be able to help the future of our country, and not just continue spending more money towards sending off to different wars and stuff like that,” he said.

Jill Skaaland from Chaseburg said she took off work for Election Day because she doesn’t “want to miss a second” of updates on the presidential race. 

Skaaland said she’s been “very impressed” with Vance’s remarks and demeanor while on the campaign trail. While she’s excited to vote Tuesday, Skaaland said she’s also glad to see an end to the flood of campaign ads on TV and by mail.

“I’m tired of the back and forth,” she said. “It doesn’t change my mind about who I’m voting for, that’s for sure.”

In central Wisconsin, a crowd of hundreds was filing in around 1 p.m. ahead of Walz’s afternoon get-out-the-vote rally at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The college town of about 25,000 people is reliably Democratic, and Portage County has remained blue in recent elections even as the rural communities around it have become more heavily Republican.

For Sophie Pitsch, 20, of Madison, 2024 will be her first time voting in a presidential race.

“It’s really important to me to preserve our democracy, and I feel that our democracy is really on the line right now,” said Pitsch, a theater major at the university.

Jaelyn Laatsch, 21, of Oconomowoc, said her political views were shaped in part by growing up in an era when school shootings became more common. She feels Walz, as a former teacher, understands the issue.

“Education and school safety is a huge thing for me, so having a candidate who also has lived through those issues and is passionate about those issues is huge for me,” Laatsch said.

Like La Crosse, where both VP candidates held morning events, Stevens Point is part of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. The race there between Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien against Democrat Rebecca Cooke of Eau Claire is one of the state’s most closely watched congressional races.

Some attendees said they are just glad to be part of history.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Vanessa Guillen, 23, of Kewaunee. “I’m graduating in the spring, so there’s never going to be another time when I can hear a vice presidential candidate come and speak at my college.”

Editor’s note: This story will be updated.