UPDATE: Bon Iver Will Perform at Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Rally in E.C. Wednesday
Democratic candidate and her running mate slated to appear
V1 Staff |
UPDATE: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was reportedly been picked by Kamala Harris as her running mate, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday morning. He is expected to accompany her on a campaign stop in Eau Claire Wednesday, held at the Eau Claire Event District. Meanwhile, Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance is also slated to speak to the press in Eau Claire on Wednesday.
While the public still doesn’t know the identity of the running mate who will accompany Vice President Kamala Harris during her campaign appearance in Eau Claire on Wednesday, we do know the name of one special guest who will attend the rally: Bon Iver.
The Harris campaign revealed Monday morning that the Eau Claire-based indie band, fronted by Justin Vernon, will have a special performance as part of Wednesday’s rally, the exact site and timing of which hasn’t yet been announced.
“Bon Iver is taking part because they know Vice President Harris’ values are Wisconsin values,” the campaign confirmed. “Lead singer Justin Vernon will be joined by bandmates Sean Carey and Michael Lewis to celebrate the state two of them call home and where Bon Iver was founded.”
The information shared by the campaign continued: “Bon Iver has constantly uplifted their hometown: they consistently debuted new music at the Eaux Claires Music Festival and have regularly invested in and uplifted the local economy. The band has also regularly done Get Out The Vote events in Wisconsin. In 2022, they launched a non-partisan effort For Wisconsin to encourage people to bridge their differences and engage in the political process––and over the past month alone they have used their platform to uplift multiple pro-democracy and civil right organizations.”
The Grammy winning-band has delved into presidential politics before, having performed at rallies for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020 in Eau Claire.
Harris – the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee now that President Joe Biden has said he won’t seek a second term – will rally supporters at a location that has yet to be disclosed for security reasons. The event will take place between 8am and 2pm on Wednesday, Aug. 7, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin said on a registration website for attendees.
In recent elections cycles, presidential candidate rallies have been held at venues such as UW-Eau Claire’s Zorn Arena (Barack Obama in 2008, Bernie Sanders in 2016), Memorial High School (Donald Trump in 2016), and The Lismore Hotel (Hillary Clinton in 2016).
The Harris campaign confirmed Monday that her newly selected running mate will accompany her to Eau Claire. According to The Washington Post, “Harris interviewed at least three potential running mates Sunday: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.” Other potential picks frequently named in national media include Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. (Coincidentally, Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, is a UW-Eau Claire alumnus.)
While she’s a former California senator and attorney general, Harris has made herself a familiar site in the Badger State: She’s visited Wisconsin nine times as vice president, most recently holding a rally on July 23 in West Allis, where she declared “The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin.” Her most recent stop in western Wisconsin was a visit to La Crosse in April.
