Maxine Waters lauds Harris-Walz ticket as ‘opportunity for transformation’

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she believes the Harris-Walz campaign can be a transformational boon for America, adding that the duo is already removing the “cloud over this country.”

“[Walz] mentioned the word joy, and I thought to myself, you know, that hit a spot. Because I was feeling that there was a cloud over this country,” Waters told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) speech earlier this week at rally in Philadelphia, his first event as Vice President Harris’s running mate.

“It was a feeling of people that something has gone wrong with our democracy, and the democracy is at stake, and more than just a few people were beginning to think about our democracy under attack,” she said.

“I do believe that there is some joy in the belief that we have an opportunity for transformation,” Waters added.

Walz sent a positive message when he first addressed the country Tuesday, thanking Harris in his introduction for “bringing back the joy.”

The North Star State governor also laid into former President Trump and his own running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), doubling down on labeling his opponents “weird as hell.” That moniker has been adopted by much of Harris’s campaign as a label for Vance and the former president.

Her team has quickly drummed up enthusiasm from Democrats, breaking fundraising records and packing supporters into rallies across the country. The vice president has also nearly eliminated the lead Trump held over President Biden, who dropped out of the race last month, with the candidates about even in most recent polls.

A campaign rally in Detroit on Wednesday evening was the largest of the campaign so far, Harris’s team said. It raised more than $36 million in the 24 hours after Walz was tapped to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Trump holds a slim lead over Harris nationally — 47.4 percent to 47.2 percent — according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls.