As Democrats barnstorm battleground states, so does JD Vance

As the new Democratic presidential ticket embarks on a tour of competitive battleground states, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is also on the trail to make sure the conversations aren’t one-sided.

Before Vice President Harris took the stage in Philadelphia Tuesday night for the first time with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vance held a lengthy press conference in the city, blasting his opponents and making the case for a second Donald Trump presidency.

“Kamala Harris has been such a disaster as vice president of this country, that everywhere she goes, chaos and uncertainty follow,” he said. “We’ve got a war in Europe, we’ve got a war in the Middle East that threatens to spiral out of control, we've got chaos in the world financial markets. Everything that Kamala Harris touches has been a disaster, and we have got to kick her out of the United States government, not give her a promotion.”

The prebuttal tour comes after a tumultuous six weeks of presidential politics that has seen each major party’s fortunes reverse, and after Vance’s rocky start on the campaign trail as Trump’s vice presidential pick.

Following President Biden's abysmal debate performance, and coming into the Republican National Convention last month, Trump enjoyed a sizable polling lead against Biden. Trump's selection of the Ohio U.S. senator to join the ticket signaled confidence in the race.

But in the ensuing weeks, Biden ended his reelection campaign and Democrats coalesced around Harris with a surge in fundraising and enthusiasm that has led to a much more competitive contest.

A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, out Tuesdsay, showed Harris leading Trump nationally, 51%-48%.

Vance tries to find his campaign footing

In early