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Kamala Harris’s running mate has a long history of allyship.
On Thursday evening, longtime LGBTQ+ allies Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, will join events focused on mobilizing voters who identify as LGBTQ+ and their supporters.
The Harris-Walz campaign is leaning heavily on Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate’s staunch support for marginalized communities as part of a 10-day blitz to rally voters in crucial battleground states. The strategic effort, organized in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, Out for Harris-Walz, and Pennsylvania Democrats, strives to boost voter turnout before the high-stakes election.
The 10 Days of Action kicks off with a rally in Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, where Gwen Walz will speak alongside out Pennsylvania State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta and Andre Carroll, as well as HRC president Kelley Robinson. The event is part of over 160 actions planned across multiple states, including phone banking, canvassing, digital outreach, and community organizing. With Election Day looming, the Harris-Walz campaign is making a concerted effort to energize a key voting bloc — dubbed “equality voters” — a group HRC says is made up of LGBTQ+ voters and their allies who prioritize inclusive policies when casting their ballots.
Robinson stressed the urgency of this election cycle, saying in a statement, “With Election Day around the corner, the stakes are as high as ever for LGBTQ+ Americans. We deserve leaders who believe in the promise of this country and the value of our communities. Those leaders are Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.”
The 10 Days of Action comes a day after HRC’s Equality Votes PAC launched a $2 million ad blitz aimed squarely at mobilizing LGBTQ+ voters in battleground states like Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
A former high school teacher and gay-straight alliance advisor, Walz has a long history of standing by his LGBTQ+ students, even when it was unpopular.
Related: Human Rights Campaign launches $2 million ad blitz to mobilize LGBTQ+ voters in battleground states
Former students of Walz have lauded his integrity and ability to create safe, supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. “He was very supportive of the group and his gay students,” Laura Matson, one of the founders of Mankato West High School’s GSA, previously told The Advocate. “He made sure we had a place at the table.”
So-called equality voters are a critical demographic that helped secure Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. According to a 2024 HRC report, 75 million equality voters make up a crucial voting bloc—LGBTQ+ people and their allies who prioritize equality when making decisions at the ballot box.
In 2020, equality voters comprised 37 percent of the electorate, delivering a 60-point margin in favor of Joe Biden, HRC reports. This year, their turnout could be the deciding factor in swing states. HRC’s current efforts are focused on ensuring this demographic shows up at the polls and votes for pro-equality candidates.
Harris for President Campaign National LGBTQ engagement director Sam Alleman underscored the importance of leaving no stone unturned.
“With so much at stake for LGBTQ+ Americans, we are not taking a single vote for granted. LGBTQ+ Americans deserve leaders who will champion our freedoms—like Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz,” he said in a statement. “While Donald Trump and JD Vance try to drag this country backward into their Project 2025 nightmare, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are charting a new way forward. Our job is to show up for them in the same way that they have shown up for our community for decades.”
The Republican Project 2025 agenda would undo decades of progress with proposals that could eliminate federal protections for LGBTQ+ people, restrict access to contraception, and institute a national abortion ban.
During his presidency, Trump’s administration targeted LGBTQ+ Americans by banning transgender people from serving in the military and attempting to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ workers. Advocates say that the upcoming election could see a return to those discriminatory policies, making the stakes exceptionally high for LGBTQ+ voters.
Thursday night’s events will culminate with a virtual Out for Harris-Walz National Organizing Call featuring Gov. Walz, Robinson and special guests, including out California U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, and Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride. The Advocate has also learned that actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and host Andy Cohen will participate.
Timed around National Coming Out Day on Friday, the 10 Days of Action is an effort to drive home the importance of voting for candidates who support equality for all.
“Over the next 10 days, we will knock doors, make calls, and rally communities across this country to send the clear message that when we show up, equality wins.” Alleman said.
