JD Vance touts law and order during Milwaukee campaign visit

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance painted himself and former President Donald Trump as law and order candidates during a visit to the office of Milwaukee’s police union Friday.

Vance was back in Wisconsin for the second time since he was tapped by Trump to be his running mate during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. He spoke to a small crowd of supporters at the Milwaukee Police Association headquarters in front of several “Back the Blue” signs. 

“How can you have a country, how can you have an American Dream, how can you have poor children who look to the future with optimism and hope, if they can’t walk down the streets of their neighborhood safely?” Vance said. “These police officers fight to make that a reality every single day and Kamala Harris is making their job harder and Donald Trump is going to make their lives easier.”

The visit comes as the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump is heating up. The latest Marquette University Law School Poll found Trump was leading Harris 50 to 49 percent among registered voters in Wisconsin.

A statement from Brianna Johnson, a spokesperson for Harris for President Wisconsin, said Vance is supporting a “convicted felon,” alluding to Trump’s conviction of 34 felony counts in May.

“Vice President Harris is the only candidate who will keep our communities safe and protect our democracy,” the statement said. 

During a short speech, Vance also said he believes the opioid epidemic and deaths involving fentanyl have gotten worse under Biden and Harris’ watch. 

“The border policies that we have at the southern border, they make our communities less safe, even as far north as Wisconsin,” Vance said.

Drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl have been rising across the nation for over a decade, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Trump’s campaign website said one of his biggest priorities is “law and order and public safety.” His website said he will work to “deliver record funding to hire and retain police officers” and “surge federal prosecutors and the National Guard into high-crime communities.”

Another statement from the Harris campaign said Vance’s message is a “stark contrast” compared to Harris’ message.

“The truth is, JD Vance and Donald Trump’s plans would bring us backward and make Wisconsin less safe,” the statement said. 

Milwaukee Police Association endorses Trump

Vance held a roundtable with police officers from across the area before he delivered his remarks Friday. It was after that roundtable that Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala announced that Trump and Vance had received his group’s endorsement. The Milwaukee police union has a long history of endorsing Republican candidates.

Ayala said officers in Milwaukee often deal with “low officer morale” and being forced to do more with less.

“Addressing these issues isn’t political, it’s truly a matter of life and death to Milwaukee,” Ayala said. 

The association has around 1,300 members and includes police officers, detectives and forensic investigators with the Milwaukee Police Department. The association endorsed Trump in 2020 as well, Ayala said.

There have been cuts to the Milwaukee Police Department budget in recent years, but local officials have blamed the state Legislature for providing the city with less money to pay for police and fire services. 

Homicides in Milwaukee are also down 38 percent this year compared to two years ago and 18 percent lower than the same time last year. Nonfatal shootings are also down 24 percent this year compared to last year, according to crime statistics from the Milwaukee Police Department. Milwaukee leaders and officials have claimed the decrease in violent crime is a sign that community outreach and partnerships are working.

However, carjackings and robberies are up in the city this year compared to last year. Crime statistics revealed carjackings are up 26 percent this year compared to last year while robberies are up about 5 percent.

The visit from Vance comes one day after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — who Harris picked as her running mate — agreed to a debate on Oct. 1.

A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found 32 percent of people surveyed in the poll had a “favorable” impression of Vance, compared to 39 percent for Walz. 

Vance was in Eau Claire earlier in the month. During that stop, he visited an aviation equipment manufacturer, attacking Harris on the economy and immigration. 

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Convention is set to get underway next week in Chicago. Harris will hold a rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday during the convention, her third trip to Wisconsin since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and her seventh visit this year.