Former President Barack Obama and vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged Wisconsinites to elect Democrats on the first day of statewide early voting during a Madison visit Tuesday.
The high-profile visit comes two weeks before Election Day and included appearances from prominent Wisconsin Democrats such as state Democratic Chair Ben Wikler, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Obama, who won Wisconsin in 2008 and 2012, emphasized the crucial role Wisconsin voters would play in elections that often come down to a few votes per ward.
“[Through voting] we’ll send the message about what America says, and together, we will keep building a country that is more fair and more just and more equal and more free,” Obama said. “That is our job. That's our responsibility.”
Walz painted a contrast between Harris, “who trusts you to make decisions about yourself,” and Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who removed the constitutional right to abortion.
“When the stakes are the highest, winners are the ones who step up, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Walz said. “It takes stamina to run for president, and Donald Trump does not have stamina.”
Walz pulled no punches in his speech, mocking Trump for refusing a second debate — “when you get your ass ripped that hard you don’t come back for seconds” — and criticizing Trump’s disingenuity, noting Trump “staged” an event at McDonald's on Sunday.
Obama acknowledged some people might be skeptical of the value in voting but cited the success of the Affordable Care Act as a demonstration of the power of elections.
“Some people in this auditorium saw a concrete benefit,” Obama said.
The topic of abortion rights — a continuous Democratic campaign focus — came up various times throughout the rally and struck the strongest chord with the crowd.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning of Roe v. Wade led to the banning of virtually all abortions in Wisconsin, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Though abortion services resumed in September 2023, multiple speakers highlighted the “Trump abortion bans” and said a Harris-Walz administration would protect abortion rights.
Actor Bradley Whitford, whose father was the President of Dane County’s Planned Parenthood, grew impassioned when talking about abortion rights, adding the organization didn’t used to be partisan.
“Trump [is] bragging about the fact that he overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped those fundamental rights away,” Whitford said, eliciting loud boos from the crowd.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told The Daily Cardinal after the rally the choice on the ballot concerned “fundamental rights and freedoms.”
“There's a clear choice between folks who want to take us backwards, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who want to move us forward and restore our rights and dreams,” Rhodes-Conway said. “[They’ll] make sure that I again have more rights than my grandmother did, and that any young people coming forward are going to have more rights than I do.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore Declan Halloran said the energy in the Alliant Center was “even more electric and great” than when Harris spoke a few weeks ago.
“People are even more fired up,” Halloran told the Cardinal. “It's just simply cool to see people come out.”
Walz will rally in Racine Tuesday night after campaigning with Obama in Madison. Since joining the Harris ticket, Walz has visited Wisconsin six times. The rally marked Obama’s sixth visit to Madison.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She has interned with WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
Gavin Escott is the campus news editor for the Daily Cardinal. He has covered protests, breaking news and written in-depth on Wisconsin politics and higher education. He is the former producer of the Cardinal Call podcast. Follow him on X at @gav_escott.
