Minnesota Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz gather in Glendale, face fact-checking of campaign promises

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed a crowd of more than 15,000 people at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on Friday. The rally, which took place Friday, included speeches from Arizona politicians such as Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego and Sen. Mark Kelly with former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, according to FOX10 Phoenix. Harris and Walz took the stage to discuss a range of topics, including voting rights, gun control and immigration reform.

Governor Walz cited his military background and education before diving into politics, while Vice President Harris made campaign promises like expanding voting rights and passing an assault weapons ban. During her speech, Harris paused to assure pro-Palestinian protesters of the efforts being made to reach a ceasefire agreement, a detail contributed by the Associated Press (AP), as FOX 10 Phoenix reports.

However, both Harris and Walz’s statements during the event were scrutinized, as Arizona’s Family Investigates fact-checked their claims for accuracy. One such claim by Walz that “crime went up under Donald Trump” was deemed to require context, as PolitiFact only found a spike in violent crime during 2020 amid Trump’s presidency, AZ Family details. Another claim by Walz about a secret initiative, Project 2025, also required context, as reported revelations suggest a connection between the project and Trump’s inner circle, despite his denials.

Harris proudly touted her criminal past, claiming, “I’ve gone after transnational gangs, drug cartels, human traffickers who came into our country illegally. I’ve prosecuted them in case after case, and I’ve won.” This claim, too, proved to need context, because while she’s won, crime has increased in her final year as California’s attorney general. The fact-checking process has expanded to other controversial campaign issues, including abortion rights and Trump’s stance on Social Security and Medicare.