From Staff Reports 

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz “touted the accomplishments of the Biden administration and set up a stark contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during a 40-minute speech” at a campaign rally at Asheville’s Salvage Station on a rainy Sept. 17 evening, Asheville-based radio station BRP News reported on Sept. 17.

More than 2,500 people attended the rally, the Asheville Citizen Times noted in a Sept. 18 story. 

Meanwhile, BPR News added, “Walz also railed against Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson who faces Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein in November. Walz condemned Robinson’s comments on abortion.

“‘You would not find a worse candidate in Mark Robinson,’ he said to boisterous applause. ‘He says, “It’s not your body anymore once you’re pregnant.” ‘Do you really want to have a federal agency run by Donald Trump and JD Vance giving Mark Robinson the authority to monitor your pregnancy?’”

Meanwhile, Asheville television 13 WLOS (News 13) reported on Sept. 14 that “the visit is part of a two-day swing by Walz in Georgia and North Carolina.

“As North Carolina is seen as a key state for both the Harris and the Trump campaigns, Kathie Kline, the chair for the Buncombe County Democratic Party, said she believes Walz connects well with the voters.”

News 13 quoted Kline as saying, “We feel like he presents our common values that are appreciated by people of both parties. We feel like he’s very honest.”

The TV station also contacted Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, who News 13 reported saying “he believes stopping in Asheville makes ‘a lot of sense’ for Walz.

“‘It [Asheville] represents obviously the economic and political center of the Western part of the state,’ Cooper said. ‘N.C. is clearly a battle ground state that trump has to win, if the Harris-Walz team can take that one off the map for Donald Trump, they’ll probably end up in the White House.’

The Asheville Citizen Times reported on Sept. 18 that Walz called those who showed up for his speech “‘the best rally crowd’ the vice presidential nominees campaign has seen, as the Tar Heel state remains a pivotal battleground in the 2024 election.

“Often with raucous cheers from the crowd, Walz spoke for around 40 minutes, focusing on topics of gun violence, reproductive healthcare and Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic candidacy, while going on the attack against his Republican opponents and taking shots at North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.”

The ACT added, “Speaking to the large and tightly packed crowd at Asheville’s Salvage Station, the speech highlighted renewed energy for the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee in an area that has typically “gone blue” amid a sea of traditionally Republican Western North Carolina counties. Prior to Walz taking the stage, attendees danced in the mud, sang and drank beer as songs by Prince, Bee Gees, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus played.

“Polls indicate that whoever wins the state will do so by a razor-thin margin. The latest Real Clear Polling average has Trump winning by four-tenths of a percent—within the margin of error.

“Walz’s biggest cheers came from his comments on reproductive rights. Referring to state Republicans moving to restrict access to abortion, Walz told them to ‘mind their own damn business.’”

“‘We don’t want to have to go talk about this private stuff—stay out of our business—but we have to,’ Walz said. ‘Because what I know is: if these guys win and get their way, they made it clear today — they’re not just going after abortion,’” the ACT noted.