JD Vance rails against illegal immigration, and Tim Walz celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month in Pa. campaign stops Saturday

LEESPORT — The aspiring vice presidential nominees visited Pennsylvania Saturday in a pair of campaign events within an hour’s distance of each other with messages miles apart.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz stepped onstage at a high school aptly named Freedom and touted his party’s inclusivity, and Republican Sen. JD Vance stumped in a fairgrounds farm stand draped in American flags, promising mass deportations to approving cheers.

Walz, at an event to mark the start of Hispanic American Heritage month in Bethlehem, urged collective action to safeguard democracy, protect women’s reproductive rights, and build an economy for the middle class, a fight he argued can be done with hope and joy.

“You chose to come here, and the reason is simple. You love this country,” Walz said. “Hard work can be good work. Democracy is … a precious privilege and gift that we need to protect. And you can do it with joy, optimism, grace, and happiness.”

Vance, in Leesport, Berks County, gave a speech almost entirely dedicated to the threat of illegal immigration, which he argued has strained the economy and driven up costs, particularly in Pennsylvania. He promised to continue pressing the issue despite criticisms that many of the claims are inflammatory and untrue.

“What really bothers me about it is, it’s not just that they’ve made people’s lives worse with this terrible open border, it’s that they’re gonna call you bad names if you dare complain about it,” the Ohio senator said. “We are not bad people for thinking that you should not flood millions of illegal aliens into this country. ... Kamala Harris is a bad person for letting this happen to our country, in the first place.”

The battle for the state’s critical 19 electoral votes is in super-drive with 44 days to go until the election. Both regions of the state could be key to the 2024 election. Bethlehem straddles both Lehigh and Northampton Counties, and Northampton is one of just two Pennsylvania counties to vote for Barack Obama, and then Trump, and then swing back to President Joe Biden in 2020.

Berks County went for Trump by 8 percentage points in 2020, and it’s a place where the campaign is hoping to squeeze even more support out this time.

As he spoke on the sprawling Berks County Fairground, Vance blasted Harris and Biden for high housing costs.

“Her border policies welcomed 25 million illegal aliens into this country, people who shouldn’t be here, people who are competing against you and your children to buy the homes that ought to go to American citizens,” Vance said. “So our message to Kamala Harris is stop giving American homes to foreigners who shouldn’t be in this country. Start giving them to American citizens who deserve to be.”

Vance and Trump have drawn criticism with attacks aimed at stoking passions by falsely claiming that Haitians in Spingfield, Ohio, are stealing and eating pets.

“Our message to everybody who’s coming to this country illegally is in six months, pack your bags because Donald Trump’s coming back,” Vance said.

Vance took questions on Saturday immediately following his remarks, with the rally still packed with supporters who loudly booed each reporter who asked a question.

Asked about Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s op-ed in the New York Times condemning Vance and Trump for their remarks on Springfield, his hometown. Vance noted DeWine has endorsed their ticket. “We are a big-tent party and we’re gonna have people who have disagreements, and that’s OK.”

Vance said he put “zero” weight in recent polls that showed Harris with a lead in Pennsylvania.

About 50 miles east, Walz joined The Bear actress and recent Emmy winner Liza Colón-Zayas and Hamilton actor Anthony Ramos. Attendees waved “FREEDOM” signs, Taylor Swift songs played, and some people made friendship bracelets.

The Minnesota governor noted a historical connection between his home state and the Lehigh Valley — ore from Minnesota was used in Pennsylvania steel mills during World War II — and turned it into a dig at Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for North Carolina governor who recently came under fire for reportedly making offensive comments on a porn website. One comment read, “I’m a black NAZI!” according to CNN.

“Together, it was our people that built the tanks that won World War II and freed the world from Nazi oppression,” Walz said. “We have folks running as Republicans for governor that are proud to refer to themselves as Nazis. Let’s not pretend that there’s a gradual difference between the folks that are running here. They’re running together.”

He highlighted major policy differences between the two campaigns, such as the Democrats’ opposition to restrictions on abortion rights and tax cuts for the rich, and their support for unions. But, Walz said, the election has as much to do with bigger-picture issues as any one policy.

“Not everyone is going to see the world the same way but there’s a set of core values that we share things that animate our service, things that lift us up together,” Walz said. “It’s pretty obvious to us that Donald Trump and JD Vance do not share our values in any way.”

While the event was held in part to celebrate Latinos for Harris, the crowd of about 3,000 was mostly white.

Ana Gallardo, a retired federal government worker from Pottstown said she worries about the lack of activity she sees in her community, though she was happy to attend the rally. The Latino vote could be critical to the outcome of the election in Pennsylvania.

“I think they need to get more out in front of the people,” Gallardo said. “I haven’t seen any signs. I haven’t gotten a postcard or a phone call.”

The appearances came just 10 days before Vance and Walz are slated to share a stage for a vice presidential debate.

Vance said he’d “love to have a second debate,” with Walz 10 days out from the Oct. 1 matchup. “I think you should actually have to earn this job,” he said.

That’s a contrast to Trump who has said he won’t do a second debate with Harris, whose campaign on Saturday challenged Trump to a second one hosted by CNN on Oct. 23.

Robbie McArdle, 20, who will vote in his first election this year, backs Trump and said he thinks Vance’s backstory resonates in places like Berks County.

“It’s funny when Walz attacks Vance for being a Yale graduate,” he said. “Look at what it took for Vance to get himself into Yale. You’re attacking him on the American dream.”

Iris Alanyaly, a Bethlehem Harris supporter called Walz, “the father we all had before we lost our dads to MAGA,” as she waited to see him speak at the high school.

“He’s this solid, reliable, supportive flannel dad that we all had, or my generation had, and then suddenly our dads turned into Trumpers.”