Vice presidential nominee Walz steps into national spotlight on third night of the DNC

On the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept her party’s nomination for president and outline her vision for the country. Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, set the stage for her the night before as he introduced himself to the American people and accepted his nomination with Midwestern flair. Amna Nawaz reports.

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Geoff Bennett: It is the final night of the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago, which has been unlike what anyone expected just a month ago. In a few hours, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept her party’s nomination for president and outline her vision for the country.

Amna Nawaz: Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, set the stage for her last night as he introduced himself to the American people and accepted his nomination all with some Midwestern flair.

Night three at the DNC featured rising party stars.

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD): That is the story of America.

Amna Nawaz: A parade of celebrities.

Kenan Thompson, Actor: What’s up DNC?

Amna Nawaz: And a musical nod to Minnesota.

But the state’s governor and evening’s headliner, Tim Walz, was introduced by this group.

Man: Come on out, Scarlets.

Amna Nawaz: Former members of the high school football team he once coached.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Vice Presidential Candidate: Thank you.

Amna Nawaz: In the biggest speech of his political career, Walz introduced himself to America as a small-town kid, former National Guardsman and high school teacher whose students inspired him to run for office.

Gov. Tim Walz: They saw in me what I had hoped to instill in them, a commitment to the common good, an understanding that we’re all in this together.

Amna Nawaz: Peppering his speech with the familiar campaign message of freedom.

Gov. Tim Walz: In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Gov. Tim Walz: And even if we wouldn’t make those same choices for ourselves, we have got a golden rule. Mind your own damn business.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz: With his wife, Gwen, watching on, Walz recounted their fertility struggles before having their daughter, Hope, and son, Gus.

Gov. Tim Walz: Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz: Bringing 17-year-old Gus to his feet and tears as he pointed to the stage, saying: “That’s my dad.”

Gov. Tim Walz: I’m letting you in.

Amna Nawaz: The Harris/Walz campaign has embraced a direction best summed up in a single word.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): Joy. Joy comes in the morning.

Bill Clinton, Former President of the United States: Kamala Harris, the president of joy.

Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation: There is joy in it.

Oprah Winfrey, Producer/Philanthropist: Joy.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz: A message underscored in a surprise appearance by hometown hero Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey: We won’t be set back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We’re not going back.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz: Several speakers, in fact, issued sharp rebukes of Vice President Kamala Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Bill Clinton: So, the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the I’s.

Amna Nawaz: Former President Bill Clinton warned of complacency post-convention as the shadow of his wife Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss still looms over the party.

Bill Clinton: We have seen more than one election slip away from us, when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfident.

Amna Nawaz: And, once again, this Democratic Convention relied on Republicans to help make the case for their candidate, like former Mike Pence adviser Olivia Troye.

Olivia Troye, Former U.S. Homeland Security Official: You aren’t voting for a Democrat. You’re voting for democracy.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz: In stark contrast to the raucous cheers, a somber, steady chant broke out as the parents of Israeli-American Hamas hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin took the stage…

Audience: Bring them home! Bring them home!

Amna Nawaz: … calling for a cease-fire and speaking directly to their son.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Mother of Hamas Hostage: Hersh, Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive.

Amna Nawaz: But outside the arena, a frustrated group of uncommitted delegates staged a sit-in after learning their request for a Palestinian-American speaking slot was denied by the DNC.

The top of the Republican ticket, meanwhile, worked to counterprogram in battleground Arizona.

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Comrade Kamala Harris, she — I call her comrade because she is a radical left Marxist. She wants open borders.

Amna Nawaz: Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, spoke at a sheriff’s office in Georgia.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: What a dynamic duo they make, a dynamic duo for people who don’t like law enforcement, a dynamic duo for people who want to make our streets less safe.

Amna Nawaz: Back in Chicago, Democrats are gearing up for the convention’s grand finale and the historic moment their candidate will accept her party’s nomination for president.