JD Vance makes stop at former site of Minneapolis police precinct

MINNEAPOLIS — The fight to sway undecided voters is heating up in Minnesota and western Wisconsin with Election Day now just three weeks away.

Both vice presidential nominees made stops in the area on Monday.

Republican Sen. JD Vance visited Minneapolis for his second campaign stop in the state. Gov. Tim Walz went to Eau Claire, his fifth visit to Wisconsin since joining the Democratic ticket.

The latest CBS News poll shows the presidential race is now a dead heat in battleground Wisconsin.

In Minnesota, Vice President Kamala Harris holds a 7-point lead over former President Donald Trump.

One of Vance's main missions when coming to Minnesota was to attend a high-end private fundraiser. The Trump-Vance team has lagged behind the Harris-Walz ticket in raising money

Vance arrived on a campaign plane with his wife, Usha Vance, and went directly to the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in Eagan for the fundraiser. No press coverage was allowed.

His motorcade then went on to the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct, which was burned and destroyed in the 2020 riots after George Floyd's murder.

Vance then met some of the former officers who were in the building during the riots. One told Vance it was likely being in a war zone. Vance accused Walz of abandoning the officers.

"What was Gov. Tim Walz doing to keep these officers safe and to bring order to the City of Minneapolis? The answer is absolutely nothing," he said.

Vance talked about the tightening presidential race.

"I talk to the president every day. Right now we are feeling very, very good where we are," Vance said. "We think we have the momentum. We think, frankly, even without the momentum, if the election were held today, we would win."

Vance says he believes the Trump-Vance ticket can win Minnesota.

Minnesota has not voted for a Republican in a presidential race since 1972, but Trump came close with 50,000 votes in 2016.

The campaign would not reveal how much money was raided at the fundraiser and they also would not say who attended.

On the Democratic side, Walz returned to Eau Claire, speaking with students at the University of Wisconsin. Walz encouraged them to not sit out this election.

"You may have friends say, 'What's the difference? I'm just tired of it. It's the same old thing.' That's part of the playbook on the other side — to make you pessimistic, to say it doesn't matter to try and repress the vote. We see things differently. We think when more people vote, that's a better thing," Walz said.

Early voting is underway right now in Minnesota and it begins next week in Wisconsin.