'We expect to win here': Dem VP candidate Tim Walz makes first stop in NC as VP candidate

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his first stop in North Carolina on Thursday as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee at a private event in midtown Raleigh.

On Wednesday, WRAL News learned Walz would be the headliner at the invitation-only fundraiser for the Harris campaign. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper joined Walz at the event.

"It a privilege to be in politics," Walz said.

After Walz's plane landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 4:30 p.m., he grabbed a meal from Cook Out with Cooper.

"My team thought that was a photo opportunity shake," Walz said. "I ate the whole thing."

Walz said Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris, who campaigned Thursday in Savannah, Ga., has brought joy back into politics, adding he wants people to belong to something bigger than themselves.

"You don't need your elected officials to give you a sermon, but you should try and live one," Walz said. "This is a gift the rest of the world would love to have. The ability to self govern, the ability to talk about problem-solving [and] the ability to say, 'Everyone has a place here.'"

The Minnesota Governor also had pointed criticisms of former President and Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump during his visit.

"If you think Trump wakes up and thinks about something other than himself, you're sadly mistaken," Walz said.

Walz highlighted some of his work as Minnesota Governor, which included making school breakfasts and lunches at schools in the state at no cost to students, which he says had a ripple effect.

"They showed up to school, graduated and got jobs," he said. "You can buy school buses, or you can buy prison buses. It makes sense to buy more school buses."

Before the event, Walz stopped at the state's Democratic Party headquarters and spoke with staffers phone banking at the headquarters. Walz said he believes the state is in play for Democrats during the 2024 elections.

"We expect to win here," Walz said. "I think we know, [it's] very difficult for a Republican candidate to win the White House if they can't win North Carolina. It's that simple."

Former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump won North Carolina in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump won the presidency in 2016 but lost to then-former Vice President Joe Biden in 2020.

Despite the results in previous elections, Walz reiterated that North Carolina is key to the Democratic ticket with less than 70 days remaining before election day.

"History is going to be made right here in North Carolina. [We have] 68 days to make transformational change [and] do something good. I don't want to tell the story that we didn't do all that we can," Walz said. "The football coach in me says leave it all on the field."