Tim Walz stops in Lancaster on first solo campaign trip in Pennsylvania

LANCASTER — In his first solo trip to Pennsylvania as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz talked about whoopie pies, apple cider doughnuts — and how Democratic turnout in majority-Republican Pennsylvania counties could decide who will be the next president.

Walz and his 23-year-old daughter Hope Walz, both wearing camouflage hats, began their day of campaigning in Pennsylvania with two stops in Lancaster County, a Republican-majority county that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 by 16 percentage points, a difference of more than 44,000 votes. He later flew to Pittsburgh to visit a milkshake bar just outside the city and visited a farm in Fayette County.

Democrats believe that turnout in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s two major cities, and in counties around Philadelphia that are now reliably blue, won’t be enough to win Harris the White House. They also hope to widen her lead in Republican-majority areas to win a key swing state that has the most electoral votes — and they’re counting on Walz’s folksy approach to appeal to voters there.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the outcome of this election could hinge on this county, this field office and the people we send there,” Walz told a crowd of supporters in the basement of Democratic National Committee headquarters in Lancaster, a compact city of about 58,000 people 80 miles west of Philadelphia.

“It’s a huge responsibility, but also an incredible opportunity,” Walz added.

The majority of Lancaster County’s more than 354,000 voters are registered Republicans, while only 32% are registered Democratsaccording to state voter registration data. The Harris-Walz campaign opened a second Lancaster County campaign office in Ephrata last week — becoming the first presidential campaign to set up an operation in the rural part of the county, campaign officials said.

Walz did not discuss specific policy issues during his visits to Lancaster County and did not take questions. He told supporters that he has felt the momentum of the campaign during his stops across the country since being selected as Harris’ running mate less than a month ago.

Before visiting Lancaster, Walz stopped by Cherry Hill Orchards & Farm Market in a more rural part of the county. He and his daughter bought whoopie pies and apple cider doughnuts to hand out to supporters. (Hope Walz also took some on the plane when they left town.) When a local reporter encouraged them to buy pumpkin whoopie pies in addition to the time-honored chocolate, Hope Walz said her family is a “huge fan” of the fall flavor. “We’re pumpkin people,” she added.

And as Tim Walz reached for his apple cider doughnuts, he joked about a recent video featuring Trump’s vice presidential candidate, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (Republican of Ohio), uncomfortable ordering donuts in Georgia.

“Look at me, I have no problem choosing doughnuts,” Walz joked.

Speaking to a group of two dozen or so campaign volunteers at the county Democratic headquarters, Walz tried to point out the similarities between Pennsylvania and Minnesota, “but Super Bowl rings are not one of them.”

“I know, you keep reminding me,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. (The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 NFC Championship, then won their first Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. The Vikings have appeared in several Super Bowls but have never won.)

After Walz spoke for about seven minutes, supporters at the headquarters continued talking by phone. He told them to pass him the phone if they got a voter on the line. During the visit, he spoke to several voters, asking for their support.

The Harris-Walz campaign is hoping Walz’s Midwestern, good-guy demeanor and unassuming appearance will facilitate the candidate appeal to a broader base of voters in red counties like Lancaster. The campaign has opened 50 field offices across the state, including 16 in counties like Lancaster where Trump won by double digits in 2020.

But Trump campaign officials in Pennsylvania said Harris’ “improbable attempts to win over rural residents” are even worse in Walz’s case.

“Given Walz’s inability to convince even his own family members, there’s no way he or Kamala are going to change the fact that Lancaster County is Trump country,” said Kush Desai, a spokesman for the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania, referring to several Walz family members who expressed their support for Trump this week.

Walz’s visit to Pennsylvania fell on the same day that Trump was scheduled to hold a meeting with Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, broadcast on Fox News.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a leading candidate to be Harris’ vice presidential candidate, did not join Walz and his daughter at their campaign event in Lancaster County on Wednesday. Shapiro was outside Pittsburgh for the bill signing Wednesday morning, but did not join the Walzes in the afternoon. He had said earlier that he and Tim Walz were friends and that Walz was “perfect for the job.”