VP Kamala Harris visits Minnesota Saturday to campaign for Dem candidates

Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Twin Cities this weekend. It was her first visit to Minnesota since the 2020 election.

Harris first joined the Lt. Governor for a conversation about reproductive rights, then she was part of a campaign fundraiser for Democratic Governor Tim Walz.

Vice President Harris joined Lt. Governor Flanagan at Metro State University this morning for a live podcast discussion about reproductive rights. 

Central to the conversation was the Supreme Court's decision earlier this year to overturn Roe V. Wade.

"Now we are seeing an intentional restriction of rights. What is that saying about the trajectory and the direction of our country? There's so much at stake," Harris said.

Today's visit was billed as a conversation and not a political event, but even the vice president admitted, given who she is, the topic of conversation, and with an election in a little more than two weeks, politics couldn't be avoided.'

"It matters who represents the people of this state and is responsible for doing justice on behalf of those people when it comes to an issue like this," Harris said.

Ahead of Harris' visit, Minnesota Republicans criticized the vice president.

"Kamala Harris coming is a little bit of a slap in the face to Minnesota because she has not helped us at all," said Scott Jensen, the GOP candidate for governor. "I think Minnesotans want attention given to crime and that's where we stayed focused. This is about crime. This is about something that literally pulverized our state as well as our nation."

As Vice-President Kamala Harris arrives in the Twin Cities to, among other things, campaign for incumbent Gov. Tim Walz, his Republican Party opponent in the upcoming elections has issued the following statement:

"By hosting a fundraiser with Vice President Harris, not only is Governor Walz embracing President Biden's disastrous policies which have led to suffocating inflation for Minnesota families, but he's also welcoming Harris's no bail policies that have led to out of control crime on our streets. In our own state, we've seen Vice President Harris support an organization that released a repeat violent felon who then committed murder on a light rail platform in St. Paul. If not for that organization, that criminal would have stayed behind bars. In the waning days of the campaign, Tim Walz is showing his true colors by choosing to spend his time raising money with soft on crime Washington D.C. politicians, rather than meeting with Minnesota voters. Rest assured, I'll be spending the final weeks of the campaign touring the entire state and earning the vote of Minnesotans. And, on November 8th, I'm confident those same voters will reject the Walz-Biden agenda and choose to Heal Minnesota."

Republican National Committee spokesperson Preya Samsundar issued the following statement upon Vice-President Kamala Harris's visit to the Twin Cities Saturday:

"Minnesota Democrats may see Kamala Harris as the answer to their election woes, but her presence reminds voters that Democrats continue to support the Biden agenda, which has brought their families historic inflation, lower wages, a resurging opioid epidemic, and rampant crime."

In an exclusive interview with WCCO's Esme Murphy, Vice President Harris said while abortion is legal in Minnesota now, that could change. See their full interview below.

Vice President departed Joint Base Andrews Saturday morning, headed to the Twin Cities, where she is scheduled to participate in a roundtable on reproductive rights.