Walz attends Michigan-Minnesota college football game before final prep for Tuesday’s debate

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tim Walz’s dual role as Minnesota’s governor and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate was on full display Saturday as he attended a tailgate with Michigan football fans before going on the field to meet with Minnesota’s coach.

Walz visited Ann Arbor to watch the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota teams play in what is expected to be his final major campaign appearance before Tuesday’s vice presidential debate.

Earlier in the day, Walz was greeted at the airport by University of Michigan students, who had arrived in a bus bearing a banner that read “Put Me In, Coach!” Michigan won the game against Walz’s home state school.

Walz has leaned into his background as a football coach and teacher while on the campaign trail as the Democrats look to drum up enthusiasm among young voters, with Walz having made multiple recent visits to university campuses.

The visit comes before the debate on Tuesday between Walz and Donald Trump’s running mate, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. After Saturday’s game, Walz traveled to northern Michigan for final debate prep before the faceoff.

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Harris, meanwhile, held a fundraiser in San Francisco on Saturday, telling a crowd full of raucous supporters that “so much is on the line in this election,” as she talked about abortion bans in states and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that granted broad immunity to presidents.

“I am convinced,” she said. “The American people are convinced that it is time to turn the page.”

She said the American people were ready for “leadership that is optimistic,” and that’s why her supporters, including Republicans like former Vice President Dick Cheney “are supporting our campaign because they want an American president who works for all the American people.”

Trump held a rally Saturday in Wisconsin, and attended a college football game, too — the prime-time matchup between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Harris campaign launched a new ad to air during the game that needles Trump on the prospect of a second presidential debate. Harris has said she would attend another debate; Trump has ruled it out.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been playing the role of Vance in Walz’s debate prep sessions, which so far have taken place at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private events.

Michigan is one of the key battleground states in November’s presidential election. While Harris has made multiple visits to Detroit since launching her campaign in July, Walz has focused his efforts on other areas of the state, including a recent trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city.

“No one is winning this state right now,” Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan told reporters just before Walz’s arrival Saturday. “We are a purple state. Donald Trump hasn’t won this state and Kamala Harris hasn’t won this state.”

Walz has continued to engage with young voters in the campaign, including a recent visit to Michigan State University. In 2022, Michigan saw the highest youth voter turnout rate nationwide as Democrats made historic gains in the state. Energizing similar voters could be crucial for Harris this year.

Following the vice presidential debate, Walz and Harris will campaign together on a bus tour through central Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

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AP writers Will Weissert in San Francsico and Meg Kinnard in South Carolina contributed to this report.