After campaigning in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Minnesota Gov. and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz visited East Lansing to address students and members of the College Democrats at MSU organization Friday afternoon.
Walz landed at the Capitol Region International Airport early Friday afternoon. He was greeted by Mayor of Lansing Andy Shore, U.S. House of Representatives candidate Curtis Hertel, Rev. Neal Anderson of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing and Michigan Education Association’s secretary-treasurer Aaron Eling.
Walz then entered his motorcade and was brought to The Graduate East Lansing Hotel, less than a mile from the Michigan State campus. The event was held on the hotel’s rooftop bar on the 10th floor, which was at capacity upon Walz’s arrival.
Walz addressed approximately 100 Democratic supporters and members of the College Democrats at MSU, an organization designed to rally Spartans who share Democrat values.
Highlights of the 10-minute visit include Walz expressing the Harris-Walz campaign’s dedication to confront climate change, student loan debt, common sense gun laws and securing reproductive rights throughout the nation. Walz also stressed the importance of young Americans voting and encouraged attendees to communicate this to friends and colleagues.
Liam Richichi, president of College Democrats at MSU and Michigan State senior, explained what it was like to host Governor Walz and other Democratic candidates in East Lansing.
“It was put together by her campaign [the Harris-Walz campaign], and we work closely with the Michigan OneCampaign, which is the coordinated campaign that helps to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in the state,” Richichi said. “They were the ones that logistically put it together, they just put us in charge of recruiting a lot of people for the event. The event itself probably had around 150 to 200 people and it was a very quick turnaround time.”
Richichi then commented on the event’s privacy and how MSU students can get involved with future events like this.
“This isn’t something we were going to or able to post on social media, this is something people were only able to hear in person for security purposes,” Richichi explained. “We really are the number one point of contact for the Harris-Walz campaign and campaigns up and down the ballot across the state of Michigan. Whether that’s Curtis Hertel running for congress, Elissa Slotkin running for senate or Julie Brixy running for re-election to the state house, it really comes down to the organizers and getting involved.”
The most frequent comment that attendees of the event gave was that Tim Walz made a lot of effort to connect with students personally. Because Richichi was tasked with introducing Walz for the event, he had the opportunity to speak with him longer than other attendees.
“I got to be with him backstage because I was the one introducing him, so I got to talk to him for about 10 to 15 minutes on a personal level,” Richichi said. “He’s a really great guy – came into the room, shook my hand and already knew my name. The rumors that he’s a Midwestern dad are quite accurate. He loves his kids – his daughter Hope was there – he talked about his son and how he loves Michigan State, and how Governor Whitmer will send him Michigan State merch.”
Political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore Ryan McClendon, a member of College Democrats at MSU, said that the private nature of the event helped it feel more personal. “I was in the front row, I was actually the first person who shook his hand,” McClendon said. “Today, politicians are kind of an abstraction to us. We see them do interviews, we see them on Twitter, or giving speeches – but when you meet them in real life, when they talk to you on the issues that matter, they really become real people. And that’s the sense that I got from Tim Walz, that he was a real person.”
Attendees said that Walz shook the hand of every individual in attendance, and had one-on-one conversations with many of them despite a rushed schedule.
“Walz was a teacher of about 20 years and so was my mom; and so was my grandma, and so was my uncle,” McClendon said. “He asked me what my mom taught – and she teaches Spanish and journalism in Rockford, Michigan – and then he said something that really struck me: ‘It really feels right to have a teacher doing this job. It really feels right to have someone who is a middle-class guy to be in this position to be the vice president.’”
International relations and political theory and constitutional democracy double major Mia Thurman voiced her thoughts on the intimacy of the event, agreeing with its positive impact.
“I think what I really enjoyed about it was the fact that I got to actually talk to state representatives and people who were involved with providing internships for students at Michigan State and the James Madison College,” Thurman said. “I feel like it was much more personal – Tim Walz was literally speaking to us, which was so cool.”
Later, Walz also stopped by the East Lansing OneCampaign office.
