Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz responded to the stolen valor scandal that has plagued his candidacy during his first solo event on Tuesday.
The Minnesota governor is campaigning on his own for the first time, taking his "folksy Midwestern dad" routine to five different states.
The governor made his first stop in Newport Beach, California on Tuesday, where he spoke with a union for government employees, AFSCME.
In a speech to the union's members, Walz accused his Republican rival J.D. Vance of denigrating Walz's National Guard service.
"I firmly believe you should never degenerate another person’s service record," Walz said.
“To anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: thank you for your service and sacrifice,” Walz added.
The Harris operation has marketed Walz as a normal Midwestern guy, part of an effort to win Rust Belt voters and deflect Republican attacks that the Harris-Walz ticket is radical and elitist.
But Walz's rollout has proven rocky. Within days of Harris announcing her pick, Walz conceded he "misspoke" about serving in combat as Republicans scrutinized his military record.
As Walz touched down in California on Tuesday, Orange County Republicans mocked Walz over the stolen valor scandal.
Chairman Fred Whitaker said Walz "may walk away heavy with campaign cash from liberal donors but he will leave with the same empty and fake record he came in with.”
Like Harris, Walz hasn't engaged with the media. Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance, a Marine veteran who brought attention to Walz's military record, sat for three back-to-back interviews with hostile reporters on the big networks last Sunday.
In those interviews, Vance explained that he takes issue with Walz for lying about his service - not the fact that he served.
"I’ve never criticized what Tim Walz did when he was in the military. ... I’m criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain,” Vance told CNN.
Walz is obviously trying to conflate two different things - but Republicans are sure to keep the stolen valor scandal an issue going forward.
Walz will continue fundraising in the Democratic enclaves of Denver and Boston Wednesday. He'll finish up Thursday with a swing through Newport, Rhode Island and The Hamptons.
