Gov. Tim Walz celebrates Diwali at Hindu temple in Montgomery County, rallies boilermakers in Bucks

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, made stops at a union headquarters and a Hindu temple in a campaign swing Thursday morning in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Walz’s visits to Bucks and Montgomery Counties underscored the importance of the Philadelphia suburbs in Tuesday’s election as Vice President Kamala Harris takes on former President Donald Trump.

Both campaigns are well aware that the shifts within the Philadelphia suburban electorate could determine the national winner, and they are making appeals to a diverse set of groups within the region.

Walz received a warm welcome at the Bharatiya Temple, a Hindu place of worship in Montgomeryville, for a celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights.

Diwali, which was just made an official Pennsylvania holiday this month, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

“I know there’s a lot of anxiety out there and everything, but you can feel the sense of community here,” Walz said to the excited crowd. “You can feel the sense of love; you can feel the sense of, that there is something bigger than all of us.”

Diwali, which began Thursday and ends Saturday, is one of the most important holidays of the year for South Asians. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists.

“As we go into these next five days, the opportunity couldn’t be greater to choose the path, what we’re here today for, to think about moving into a positive future where everybody is part of it … and we use our knowledge to work together,” Walz said.

“Our diversity is our strength in this country,” he added.

He was introduced by Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, who is also the chair of the county’s elections board. Makhija is the first Asian American county commissioner in Pennsylvania.

A pandit gave a blessing before the governor and Makhija lit a diya, or lamp, which is part of the Diwali tradition.

Walz wished attendees a happy and peaceful Diwali and told them to save some energy to celebrate Wednesday morning after the election. He said that in both Pennsylvania and Minnesota, “the Indian and South Asian community is so much a fabric of our state and who we are in all aspects of civic, political, educational, the arts across all spectrums, entrepreneurship, and business.”

He said the country gets a more perfect union by electing “folks who look like the community.”

Harris, whose mother emigrated from India and whose father emigrated from Jamaica, would make history as the first Asian American president, if elected — in addition to being the first woman.

Makhija said in a text message after the event that there are more than 350,000 Asian Americans in Pennsylvania, a plurality of whom are Indian Americans.

“Even 3.5% of the electorate may seem small, but in Pa., that’s a landslide,” Makhija said. “Every community matters and Kamala Harris & Tim Walz know that.”

Before the Diwali celebration, Walz spoke at a rally at the Boilermakers Local 13 in Levittown.

Lawn signs for Trump and other Republican candidates were prevalent in the area, and one Trump supporter planted many more Trump signs along the road by the union shop to make a point in time for Walz’s arrival, as his fellow supporters encouraged cars to honk for Trump. A group of Harris supporters joined the side of the road to do the same.

The energy was palpable inside the boilermakers union building, with the audience feeding off of Walz’s speech — which balanced quips against Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, with his own ticket’s policies.

Walz emphasized that there were 120 hours before the election — and said those hours are when elections are won. He emphasized the importance of Bucks County voters, saying that the path to victory could go right through that union room.

The rally covered various topics from reproductive rights to the economy, with U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Montgomery County Democrat who spoke before Walz, denouncing Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

During his remarks, Walz noted that Trump said at a Wisconsin rally Wednesday that he would “protect” women, even as 21 states have abortion bans as a result of his administration.

Walz said Trump saying at that rally that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not” is “how this guy has lived his life”— and why he ended up exposed on an Access Hollywood tape speaking lewdly about women, as well as in the courtroom. A jury last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.

Walz said he hears some people say that they can’t stand Trump but believe he’ll be better on the economy, and reminded attendees of the time they were fighting with neighbors over buying toilet paper in Trump’s economy in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To embrace the theme of the union event, Walz said that “Trump and Vance know nothing” about working-class people and that the only thing they manufacture “is bullshit on a daily basis.”

He said a Harris-Walz administration would focus on giving tax cuts to the middle class. Harris has pledged not to raise taxes on American households making under $400,000 per year, which applies to the vast majority of Americans.

“At least they’re saying the quiet stuff out loud now, they’re telling us who they are,” Walz said in reference to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) saying Republicans want to get rid of Obamacare.

Walz contrasted Trump’s platform with Harris’ plan to prohibit price gouging, saying Minnesota farmers received the same amount of money for their corn when prices were up and down for consumers. He compared price gouging at grocery stores to flight prices skyrocketing when a hurricane is expected in Florida, calling the practice unethical.

He spoke about how economists have warned that Trump’s plan to raise tariffs will raise costs for consumers, and compared Trump’s declaration that China will foot the bill with his earlier claims that Mexico would pay for the border wall.

“They never talk about you,” Walz said. “Donald Trump talks about himself because he’s the only person he’s concerned with.”

By contrast, Walz said, Harris is “going to go into the White House with a to-do list, not an enemies list.” Trump has threatened to prosecute people he sees as his enemies should he serve another term.