Tim Walz to kick off solo campaign tour in LA

LOS ANGELES – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is kicking off his first solo campaign stop as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate Tuesday with a speech to a labor group in Los Angeles.

Walz will speak at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees convention. This year’s annual gathering for the union is themed around a “fearless” agenda.

“Tim’s a good friend to our union, someone who’s always put the interest of working people front and center,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a speech Monday.

The event marks Walz’s first time hitting the campaign trail by himself – and exactly one week since Harris named him as her running mate. In the whirlwind week since, Walz catapulted from little-known Midwestern governor to national sensation. He and Harris spent the week in a battleground blitz with stops in Pennsylvania and Michigan. They spent the weekend on a western tour, headlining rallies in Nevada and Arizona.

In Las Vegas, Harris told supporters that she backed a policy to end taxes on tips – a proposal frequently touted by her opponent, former President Trump, in recent weeks. The Trump campaign called Harris “desperate” for copying his proposal. But the Culinary Workers Union of Nevada quickly endorsed Harris and her plan.

Harris then went on to San Francisco for a homecoming fundraiser, where she brought in $13 million.