Tim Walz is returning to his home state where there’s a battle over a key Nebraska electoral vote

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of Nebraskans are expected to turn out on Saturday for native son Tim Walz on his first trip back to his home state since becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Supporters hope Walz’s rural roots — he grew up in the small towns of Valentine and Butte in the Sandhills — could help Democrats appeal to wide swaths of Republican strongholds where they have rarely been competitive in recent elections.

His appearance in Omaha also reinforces the campaign’s interest in securing the single electoral vote that comes with winning the swing 2nd Congressional District, which Joe Biden secured in 2020 and Barack Obama in 2008. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is expected to visit Omaha next week for a private fundraiser hosted by Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts.

“I think it just proves the importance that we as the blue dot — CD2 — has,” Omaha teacher Wes Jensen said.

Former state Sen. Al Davis, who represented the Panhandle town of Alliance where Walz taught for six years before moving to Minnesota after meeting his wife, said he thinks Walz “can speak to rural parts of the country in ways that other candidates never could do.” He added, “So I’m hoping that that will turn some votes in rural parts of Nebraska and across the Midwest.”

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