CLEVELAND — For the first time in this election cycle, a member of the Democratic Party's main presidential ticket is headed to Northeast Ohio.
Vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be in Cleveland this Saturday for a campaign fundraiser, the Harris Victory Fund announced. The date and location of the reception have not been announced, and staffers have not said if Walz will make any public appearances while in the area.
For those wishing to attend, tickets start at $1,000, with such donations designating one an "advocate" for the campaign. Other levels are as follows:
- Friend: $3,300
- Supporter: $5,000
- Co-chair: $10,000
- Sponsor: $25,000 (includes photo with Walz)
- Host: $50,000 (host reception for one, includes photo with Walz)
- Champion: $100,000 (host reception for two, includes photo with Walz)
Once considered the ultimate bellwether swing state, Ohio's influence on presidential politics has waned in recent years as the result of a rightward shift. Republican Donald Trump won Ohio by eight points in 2020, but became the first candidate to take the Buckeye State while losing the election since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
With Ohio now considered to be relatively comfortably in the GOP camp, stops from Walz, Kamala Harris, Trump, and even Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance have been extremely limited in 2024 (if they happen at all), with greater focus placed on states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona, among others. Still, the state could play a huge role in the race for control in Washington, particularly when it comes to the hotly contested U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.
Brown, one of a number of Democratic lawmakers who publicly called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race this past summer, has endorsed Harris but also somewhat distanced himself from the party's top ticket as he courts split-ticket voters. He has expressed a willingness to campaign with either Harris or Walz should they come to Ohio and "we can put our schedules together," but its unknown if he will be with Walz in Cleveland this weekend.
Besides Cleveland, Walz will also host a similar reception in Cincinnati on Saturday, according to the campaign.
