By james art 
PHOENIX – Tim Waltz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, appeared at two rallies in Arizona on Saturday, three days before Election Day on Nov. 5.
The Minnesota governor first spoke in Flagstaff for just under half an hour before heading to Tucson.
In Flagstaff, Walz not only touched on the economy, women’s health care rights, abortion access and Donald Trump, but also spoke about Indigenous voters.
“The sovereignty of our Native tribes is paramount, and we’re making sure that here in Arizona, when (Kamala Harris) is president, we keep our promises,” Waltz said.
In both speeches, he lashed out at Trump, saying, “How great would it be to just not see him on TV anymore?”
Walz, who returned to Arizona for his fifth trip, appeared at Tucson High School around 5 p.m. and spoke for about 25 minutes.
The Democratic candidate called for a vote for Harris and emphasized how close the election is expected to be, noting that the election could be decided by Arizona.
“And here’s the good news,” Waltz said. “We are winning. We win. Now notice I didn’t say “we won” because there is work to be done…
“We still have work to do. This thing is not decided and it will be close. You know it better than anyone, this thing could very well be won in the state of Arizona.
He took many more jabs at Trump and said 2.7 million jobs had been lost under the Trump economy before mentioning the pandemic.
“The way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of Americans died needlessly,” Walz said. “The rest of us were out there fighting to try and find hand sanitizer and toilet paper, that’s how bad it got.
“So if you think back, this economy that they liked, if you were a billionaire or a millionaire, you might like it because you got a tax cut, and the rest of us gave up during that time because that’s what Donald Trump thinks. He doesn’t spend time thinking of ways to improve your life. In fact, he doesn’t spend any time thinking about you.
Later, Waltz taunted Trump that the former president had his picture on his phone’s lock screen.
“It’s true,” Waltz said. “That should tell you where he is.”
Waltz, a veteran and hunter, spoke out for gun rights and said he wanted to stand up and defend the Second Amendment “while maintaining our first responsibility, to protect children.”
The Minnesota governor then snubbed Trump over the three Supreme Court justices he appointed, ultimately leading to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Twenty-one states, including Arizona, now have abortion bans or stricter restrictions than when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
On Thursday, Trump floated the idea of putting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of women’s health, which Walz balked at.
“Donald said if you’re a woman, he’s going to be your protector,” Waltz said. “He can’t even open the door of a garbage truck, let alone do that.”
Waltz affects the economy
Waltz later turned his attention to the economy and Harris’ plans.
Lowering the cost of living through a federal ban on price hikes that Harris wants to enact and the 100 million Americans who will see tax cuts under Harris’ child tax credits were some of his key points.
Creating millions more units of affordable housing and offering $25,000 down payment assistance to home buyers were additional highlights.
Walz also said the average small business costs about $40,000 to start and said the current $5,000 tax credit is not enough.
He later mentioned the $50,000 tax credit Harris is proposing to give to small businesses to get them started.
“And when they ask us, ‘How are we going to pay for this to begin with?’ We can make Donald Trump pay his federal tax for a change.
Waltz made a strong closing statement and touched on how important this election could be.
“And all you older people will get, the younger people believe me, they will come one day, you will sit on this porchyou will be in that rocking chair.
And a little will go up to you. After they were in school where they studied the 2024 election.
And they will ask:
“When everything was on the line and the American experiment was on the line and there was someone running who wanted to be a dictator and overturn the constitution and talk about using the military against our own people.
“What did you do to prevent this from happening? And you’ll be able to say every damn thing we could, every damn thing we could.