Harris’ running mate Tim Walz talks of ‘bringing the joy’ in his national introduction at DNC
Associated Press▶ Follow the AP’s live coverage and analysis from the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Tim Walz accepted his party’s nomination for vice president Wednesday night, using his Democratic National Convention address to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris. He also singled out his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for a highly critical convention speech Tuesday night, saying Obama had been “nasty.” Walz lays out his biography Walz described his upbringing in Nebraska and teaching and coaching football in Minnesota and told the crowd, “Thank you for bringing the joy to this fight.” But he also criticized Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, and took several swipes at Republican policies. Through tears he mouthed, “That’s my dad.” The Bill and Oprah Show Two prominent Harris boosters on Wednesday were people Trump has crossed paths during their shared decades in public life: Bill Clinton, the nation’s 42nd president, and Oprah Winfrey, the iconic talk-show host. Winfrey — who long filmed her famous talk show in Chicago — offered a full-throated endorsement of Harris and characterized her campaign by singing out, “Joy!” “Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024,” she said, adding, “Let us choose common sense over nonsense.” A focus on ‘freedoms’ The night’s theme was “a fight for our freedoms,” with the programming focusing on abortion access and other rights that Democrats want to center in their campaign against Trump.