Ohio : As the presidential campaign heats up, Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz attacked his Republican rival, JD Vance, saying that the Ohio Senator does not reflect the "integrity" of the people in the state, The Hill reported.
Notably, JD Vance and Tim Walz are the vice presidential candidates of Republican and Democratic parties respectively. The two also faced off in the first vice presidential debate last week. Urging voters to elect Kamala Harris as the next US President, Walz highlighted that Trump and Vance are amplifying 'false claims' that are endangering the lives of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating residents' pets.
"He is not a reflection on the integrity of the people of Ohio," Walz said at an event on behalf of the Harris Victory Fund. The Minnesota Governor also slammed Walz for saying he would not have certified the 2020 presidential election and for refusing to answer whether Trump lost that race, during their vice presidential debate last week.
Notablty, with the state routinely showing active participation in the democratic process, Ohio is considered one of the key swing states in the US Presidential elections along with others such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan, according to New York Times.
During the CBS News' Vice Presidential Debate earlier this week, Walz had raised the issue of 'racist' remarks delivered by Trump towards Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio, accusing them of "eating cats and dogs."
Walz reminded the people that such inflammatory and racist speeches by Republican Party leaders have led to the consequences in Springfield, where the Governor had to send state law enforcement to escort kindergarteners to school.
"So now, in the midst of a chaotic world and in the final days of a consequential presidential election, Donald TrumpLoadingstood on at that debate stage and said, 'They are eating dogs. They are eating cats,'" Walz said.
"I understand where I'm standing in Ohio, that kind of stuff would be funny if it wasn't so damn dangerous," he added. Notably, the city officials in Springfield have called these claims by Republicans as "baseless," according to The Hill. According to latest polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump currently leads Harris in Ohio, 51.9 per cent to 45 per cent.
The US presidential elections are scheduled on November 5, where former President Donald Trump is eyeing a historic return to the White House after his bitter exit in 2020.
The incumbent Democrats have projected Kamala Harris as the presidential face after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race amid mounting concerns over his age, that got particularly highlighted after the presidential debate with Trump in June this year.