TRAVERSE CITY — The vice presidential debate between Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democrat Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota is two days away starting at 9 p.m. Oct. 1.
The 90-minute debate, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, will be moderated by CBS journalists: Managing Editor Norah O’Donnell and foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
Both VP candidates visited northern Michigan in the run-up to that debate, putting a national spotlight on the region.
On Wednesday, JD Vance held a campaign rally at the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds in Blair Township that drew voters from around the state.
Estimated crowd size at the event ranged between 700 and 3,000, depending on how the audience was measured. (The Rose Pavilion that housed the event had room for about 400 people, but many were gathered outside that structure.)
After visiting Traverse City, Vance was scheduled to campaign in metro Atlanta, but postponed the appearance because of Hurricane Helene.
On Saturday, Vance was expected to speak in the Pittsburgh suburb of Monroeville during a town hall meeting hosted by Christian broadcaster Lance Wallnau. Later that day, he was expected to speak at a rally.
Meanwhile, Walz has been in Harbor Springs prepping for the debate with help from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other campaign officials.
The two prominent Democrats arrived at Pellston Regional Airport on Thursday morning and were escorted by a citizen motorcade to Harbor Springs about 18 miles away.
“It is an honor to have them in Emmet County,” said a statement from local Democratic Party. “For security reasons, we are not sharing specific details.”
On Saturday, Walz was scheduled to attend the football game in Ann Arbor between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Vance rally reactions
During and after the Vance rally in Traverse City, the Record-Eagle interviewed a number of voters from both parties to get their impressions.
Abby Schaub, 26, came to the rally to show her support for Trump, and said she was pleased that Vance talked about the economy and the border during his hourlong presentation.
Sky Frost of Traverse City said he is definitely supporting the Trump-Vance ticket. Asked what issues he’s most concerned about, Frost said illegal immigration.
“Our grandson in Las Vegas works for the Trump Tower there,” he noted. “If Trump himself would come to northern Michigan, I’d definitely go see him.”
“The southern border is a real problem,” he said. “We’ve got to get rid of all these people coming in here illegally.”
Karl Holland, 50, of Traverse City said he’s been to 23 Trump events over the years, but Wednesday was his first time seeing Vance.
“I’m a Trump supporter, not a Republican per se,” he said. “I think Trump is what we need in the country.”
Asked about recent polls that show Harris leading in Michigan by a small margin, Holland said, “I don’t believe in polls one bit! I think about 60 percent of the popular vote in the U.S. will go for Trump and I expect him to win about 310 electoral votes.”
Jon Meyer from Holland, Michigan, echoed those views, calling Trump’s policies a “much-needed alternative” to the Biden-Harris administration.
Mark and Fina Urness split their time between Traverse City and Florida. Both wearing campaign attire on Wednesday, they named immigration and the economy as key issues in the election.
“Vance tells the truth about what’s going on,” said Mark Urness. “That’s more than you can say for the other side.”
David Anscomb and his grandson, Hunter Fisher, drove to the Vance rally from nearby Missaukee County. Dressed in a U.S. Navy hoodie, Hunter, 17, said he was “curious” to find out more about Vance and that he was “definitely” supporting the Trump-Vance ticket.
After the rally was over, Bob Rosa of Honor said the event “went very well” and that seeing Vance in person was “really great.”
“He did a really good job answering the questions, unlike the other side,” Rosa added. “He’s no dummy, that’s for sure.”
Other views
The Record-Eagle spoke to dozens of audience members at the Vance rally. Although not everyone there identified themselves as Republicans, none of those interviewed identified themselves as Democrats.
Down the street from the fairgrounds where Vance spoke is the headquarters of IBEW Local 498.
The union represents skilled electricians in the area as part of the 725,000-strong International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Dave Fashbaugh, business manager for Local 498, made sure that plenty of large Harris-Walz signs were on display on the union’s property as rally participants passed by.
“Both our national union and local union have endorsed Harris,” he said. “I read about Vance’s speech, but nothing he said could change my mind.”
As cars left the rally area about 8 p.m., Fashbaugh and his fellow union members reached out to the long line of vehicles approaching M-37.
“We asked them how it went,” he said. “They said it was ‘great.’ About 70 percent of the folks gave us the middle finger and about 30 percent waved. I was worried that people would pull down our (Harris) signs, but it didn’t happen.”
Many leaders of the local Democratic Party said they didn’t watch or listen to the Vance event because they were too busy preparing for Friday’s fundraising event called the “Obama Dinner.”
“I haven’t seen even 5 seconds (of video footage) from the Vance rally,” said Chris Cracchiolo, who chairs the Grand Traverse Democratic Committee.
County Commissioner Lauren Flynn, who represents District 2, said she didn’t watch the Vance rally, but noted that she “disapproves of how he presents on a lot of issues.”
Local officials and candidates
Several local elected officials and candidates attended the Vance rally on Wednesday, all of them Republicans.
They included county board Chair Rob Hentschel, County Commissioner Darryl Nelson and Kathleen Haueisen, who is running to represent District 7 on the county board.
“I thought it was a very rousing event,” Hentschel said. “It really raised the energy level and helped unify our local Republican Party. We all came together and Vance addressed a lot of very important topics.”
Lisa Trombley, who is campaigning for the Michigan House 103rd district against incumbent Democrat Betsy Coffia, welcomed visitors at the main gate, shaking hands and passing out campaign materials.
After the rally concluded, Trombley was back in the parking area handing out yard signs and encouraging people to vote, having nary a spare moment to speak to reporters.