SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Tim Walz has been barnstorming the country this week, rallying with supporters in key swing states. The Harris-Walz ticket’s only three weeks old. The candidates are moving at breakneck speed as Democrats prepare for the party’s convention later this month. NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram has been traveling with Vice President Harris. Joins us from Phoenix. Deepa, thanks so much for being with us.

DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.

SIMON: A busy few days.

SHIVARAM: Yeah.

SIMON: The campaign’s trying to introduce the ticket in all those swing states. What kind of reception?

SHIVARAM: I mean, so far, Harris and Walz have been greeted with this huge jolt of energy. I mean, in Phoenix last night, there were almost 20,000 people in the arena. In Detroit, 15,000 people came to a rally at an airport hangar. And, you know, Harris was already starting to gather large crowds in places like Atlanta and Milwaukee before she announced Governor Walz as her running mate. But since he joined the ticket just on Tuesday, it’s brought on this extra wave of intrigue from people, many of whom hadn’t heard of Walz before but are learning about his record as a former teacher and coach and elected leader, of course, in Minnesota.

SIMON: And so far, how has he fared into that kind of increased scrutiny?

SHIVARAM: I mean – right – big change for Governor Walz in just one week, right? He comes across as a very enthusiastic partner to Harris. You know, he’s been talking about bringing joy into the campaign, reminding crowds that there are only about three months left until Election Day. And he keeps saying, you know, quote, “we can sleep when we’re dead.” And, you know, keep in mind, this is a pretty critical time for the campaign because polling shows that most Americans don’t really know anything about Walz. And there’s sort of this race from Democrats on one side and Republicans on the other to define him as quickly as they can. Republicans are trying to attack him on his military record. Meanwhile, Democrats are highlighting his background growing up in Nebraska and in rural America. And, you know, it’s a stark contrast from Harris, who grew up from, you know, Oakland, Calif. But something Harris has emphasized this week is that despite their differences, they do have a lot in common.

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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: Seemingly worlds apart, but the same people raised us.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.

HARRIS: Good people.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yeah.

HARRIS: Hardworking people.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Yeah.

HARRIS: People who had pride in their hard work.

SHIVARAM: And that was her speaking to union workers in Detroit on Thursday. And, you know, that’s kind of been the similar message she’s been taking other stops, too.

SIMON: Interesting you point out all the interest in trying to get a handle on Governor Walz because an awful lot of voters also would like to know more about Kamala Harris and what her policies will be, if they will differ much from President Biden’s.

SHIVARAM: Yeah. I mean, that has been a really big question this week. You know, they had to get through this VP process, but I think you will see more of a focus on defined policy ideas coming down the pipeline. You know, here in Arizona, of course, one thing she was really speaking about last night was immigration, the border. She said she wanted a border and a, quote, “earned pathway to citizenship.” This, of course, is an issue that, at this point, Trump fares better than her on among voters.

SIMON: Speaking of Donald Trump, he and his running mate, JD Vance, have held a few events this week. How did those go?

SHIVARAM: Well, you know, Vance has been really hitting Walz – he’s also a veteran, of course – on his military record and experience, like I mentioned earlier. Trump, for his part, held a really lengthy press conference on Thursday, and he’s been really focused on crowd size.

SIMON: NPR’s Deepa Shivaram. Thanks so much for being with us. Have a good time on the trail.

SHIVARAM: Thank you.

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