Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz spoke at the Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 10, kicking off a Harris-Walz campaign initiative to mobilize LGBTQ+ voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
On Thursday, Walz emphasized the importance of political engagement and highlighted the pro-LBGTQ+ record of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The event marked the start of "10 Days of Action," a series of programs organized by the Human Rights Campaign and Out for Harris-Walz coalition to encourage turnout among LGBTQ+ voters in swing states.
Walz spoke alongside other state leaders such as Pennsylvania Auditor General candidate Malcolm Kenyatta and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), as well as HRC President Kelly Robinson.
In her speech, Walz called on the audience to politically engage through canvassing, phonebanking, and registering voters.
“Election Day is just 26 days away and we have a lot of work in front of us,” Walz said. “You know what Tim says: We’ll sleep when we’re dead.”
The HRC is the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the nation and first endorsed Harris in July. Throughout the event, Walz made frequent references to the Harris-Walz campaign’s pro-LGBTQ+ record.
Pennsylvania State Director of the Human Rights Campaign Ryan Matthews noted Walz’s dedication to LGBTQ+ causes as a factor in her selection as a keynote speaker.
“Mrs. Walz, in particular, calls out LGBTQ issues, criminal justice reform, basic equality, and treating everybody with the same rights," Matthews said. "[These issues] are core to the work that she, herself, is doing on this planet — not just as the wife of a successful and pro-equality politician. She was a natural fit."
Other featured speakers echoed similar sentiments regarding issues of equality and inclusivity.
“Within the next 25 days, what are you willing to do? What are you willing to do to make sure this next chapter includes everybody and that we treat folks, no matter who they are or who they love, with dignity, decency, and respect?” Kenyatta said.
2008 College graduate and HRC Board of Governors member Marianne Mondt emphasized that every vote makes a difference in the current political moment.
“In 2016, the margin of victory was very low, so every vote definitely counts, ” Mondt said.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, has been a frequent stop for both candidates throughout the campaign. Both Harris and former President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump have made stops across the state in the past few months, and the presidential debate took place at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center in September.
“I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in a swing state while you're in college, especially with such a huge election coming up,” Wharton first year Abishek Bhagat, who attended the event, said.
Several high-profile Harris-Walz campaign surrogates are scheduled to continue campaigning in Pennsylvania in the upcoming weeks. President and former Penn professor Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be in Philadelphia and surrounding counties on Oct. 15, and Harris will be in Philadelphia the following day.
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