La Crosse Street was filled with signs from community members supporting the Harris-Walz campaign Tuesday. The La Crosse County Democratic Party hosted a debate watch party at Concordia Dance Hall, featuring a guest appearance from Gwen Walz, First Lady of Minnesota and wife of Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
The Harris campaign has made several appearances in the battleground state since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. This appearance from Walz follows a visit from President Biden on Sept. 5 in Westby, where he announced a $7.3 billion investment in rural communities spanning over 23 states.
The Concordia Dance Hall was filled with excitement Tuesday in preparation for Walz’s visit and the debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump. Members of the Democratic Party were handing out debate-themed bingo cards, humorously referencing Trump.
The energy was felt by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse College Democrats, who attended the event. Madeline Maxson, vice chair of the College Democrats, expressed her feelings about Harris running. “I am so excited to get a woman elected, she fights for all the things we believe in at College Democrats,” she said. “She’s awesome.”
Tina Pohlman, vice chair of the La Crosse County Democratic Party, introduced the First Lady of Minnesota with some energizing remarks for the crowd. Pohlman explained why she chose to wear an American flag pin on her jacket. “We are taking back the flag,” Pohlman chanted before introducing Walz on stage.
Walz appeared on stage to the song “Femoninominon” by Chappel Roan, following a standing ovation from the crowd. Her speech had a theme of teaching, with a career of her own spanning over 29 years in both the classroom and administrative roles. Drawing from this experience, Walz claimed she and her husband understand the middle class “because we lived it,” she said.
Walz spoke about people living paycheck to paycheck and the tough choices they have to make daily to survive, such as choosing between buying medicine for loved ones or putting food on the table.
She followed these remarks by discussing issues that the Harris-Walz campaign aims to address in the White House, Walz said, “They want an economy that’s different so that you do not have to make those choices.”
Walz shared her own experience with IVF and advocated for reproductive freedoms. She criticized the Trump campaign’s Project 2025, telling voters that if Trump is elected, “it will be harder to get birth control than to buy a gun,” said Walz.
“We all deserve the opportunity to make choices about having children, not having children, or making our own healthcare decisions,” said Walz.
Trump denounced this idea at a town hall event in La Crosse this past Aug. He said on Aug. 29, “The government is going to pay for it, or we’re going to get or mandate your insurance company to pay for it, which is going to be great.” However, he did not provide specifics on how this would be implemented.
Walz’s appearance in La Crosse highlighted Wisconsin’s importance in the race. With over 300 watch parties across the country near college campuses, the Gen Z vote plays a significant role in Harris securing the Presidency.
