With just three days left until Election Day, hundreds of people gathered at Tucson High Saturday to hear one last time from Minnesota Gov. and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Donning camouflage print “Harris-Walz” hats and “Women for Harris signs,” attendees lined up early to show support and hear about the issues most important for them – abortion, cost of living and education. 

Charlie Touseull, a native Tucsonan and librarian, said he came to the rally to make a stand for his community. 

“I believe all people should have access to good, high-quality public education and public libraries,” he said. “Everybody should have bodily autonomy and we should drive to move forward, not back.”

Among the long list of critical issues on the ballot this year, Touseull said he thinks reproductive rights are most important. Citing his own experience with family members who have required abortions as healthcare in the past, Tousell said he believes “every single person should have access to that.”

Before Walz’s remarks, Sen. Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords took to the stage, with Kelly describing the choice Americans must make in three days as a “stark” one.

Kelly barely finished saying former president Donald Trump’s name before the crowd erupted into hearty chants of,“Vote, vote, vote.” 

Kelly and Giffords talked about Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan for tax cuts for the middle class, women’s reproductive rights and her qualifications – along with Trump’s lack thereof. 

“Donald Trump has never served anybody but Donald Trump,” said. Kelly. “Kamala Harris has been a prosecutor, an attorney general, a U.S senator and a Vice President.”

The crowd heard next from Orlando Chavez, a recent-graduate and first-time voter from Tucson High Magnet School. Attendees cheered loudly as Walz took his place on the stage.

“It’s Saturday afternoon on a beautiful day and you came here because you love America,” he said.

Walz kicked off his speech with a reminder of the importance of the final days of the race, the role of undecided voters and Harris’ plan to improve American’s lives. 

He talked about the 2.7 million jobs lost under the Trump economy, rising unemployment rates and a botched handle of a global pandemic, stressing the importance of new leadership under a Harris presidency. 

“We’ve got a golden opportunity here to turn the page on Donald Trump,” he said. 

Calling her the “president for all,” Walz talked about Harris’ plans to lower the cost of living and “put more money in the pockets of middle-class families” and create the first federal price gouging ban – an act that would intend to combat inflation and corporate companies overcharging for products or services. 

And according to Walz, rising prices can’t be attributed to capitalism, calling them just unethical.

Walz also talked about housing, calling the prospect of home ownership “generational wealth” for Americans. 

“It’s the most important thing that we buy,” he said. “It provides security for our families, but we know how difficult it is.”

To combat this, Walz said Harris plans to create 3 million more units of affordable housing – a 50% increase from the current inventory. He also talked about their goal to make sure every American has access to a $25,000 down payment assistance when trying to purchase a home. 

Touching on women’s reproductive rights and freedom Walz referenced Project 2025 and the role of politicians in American’s lives – specifically pertaining to abortion. 

“Women are turned away from emergency rooms and are miscarrying in parking lots, whether they like it or not,” he said. “Survivors of rape are being forced to carry those pregnancies to term, whether they like it or not.”

Closing out his speech, Walz ignited the crowd as he asked them to vote, take a friend to the polls and make a plan to get involved with the campaign in the next 72 hours. 

He ended with a question to the audience, asking them what they will say when asked what they did during the 2024 election. 

“When everything was on the line, the American experiment was on the line and there was somebody running who asked to be a dictator,” he said. “You’re gonna be able to say, ‘Every damn thing we could.’”

Olivia Krupp is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at oliviakrupp@arizona.edu.

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