Walz makes final campaign push in return to Asheville
Minnesota governor and Democratic nominee for Vice President Tim Walz speaks at The Orange Peel in Asheville on Oct. 30.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
With just days remaining before voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returned to speak in a very different Asheville than the one he last saw in mid-September.
On Sept. 17, Walz held a rally at Salvage Station, an iconic riverside music venue that was all but washed away 10 days later when Hurricane Helene slammed into the region, dropping 30 inches of rain in places and devastating dozens of towns.
“We've done a lot of events, but certain ones stand out. There was drizzle and rain in the air that night, raining, started to pour a little bit, but everybody stuck around,” Walz told a capacity crowd at another iconic Asheville music venue, The Orange Peel, on Oct. 30. “In the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the community did the exact same thing — they stuck around and pulled together.”
Walz was brought to the stage by Salvage Station co-owner Danny McClinton, who noted that for years Salvage Station and The Orange Peel had been competitors in Asheville’s talent-rich music scene, but that Walz’s visit had brought them together.
In a departure from the expected campaign remarks that would normally come from an event at this juncture of a high-stakes, deadlocked campaign for the presidency, Walz commended Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer for her performance under pressure and vowed to help the region recover.
“As the country watched, your resiliency and your kindness showed through. It was inspiring,” Walz said. “Our pledge to you as Kamala and I, we're not going to rest until you get all the support to rebuild this community.”
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Upon arrival at Asheville Regional Airport, Walz was greeted by several regional and local leaders who are dealing with that devastation first hand — Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe), Rep. Eric Ager (D-Buncombe), Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers and Fletcher Mayor Preston Blakely.
“As soon as he got off the plane, that was the first thing he asked us about. He asked if we were OK, and he talked about neighbors showing up to help neighbors. That's exactly what we saw here in Western North Carolina, and especially in Fletcher,” said Blakely, who is currently serving his first-term as mayor after two years on city council. “We know we need the federal government to step up to make sure we recover. This is not going to be a one-year, two-year, three-year thing. We need Vice President Harris and Governor Walz, when they get elected, to be the ones to spearhead that and step it up.”
Blakely explained that people in Fletcher lost homes during Helene, and that the town’s centerpiece had incurred about $2 million in damages. Fletcher operates on an annual budget of roughly $9 million.
“Bill Moore Community Park is truly a community hub. I mean, it's not just a park for Fletcher residents. It's a regional hub,” Blakely said. “Folks from all over come here because we preserve our green space. They get good outdoor time. I mean, [the damage] is no different than what everybody else saw. It's going to take time to recover.”
Smathers and his tiny mountain mill town of Canton have the dubious distinction of seeing that level of damage visited upon them twice in the last three years; deadly flooding from Tropical Storm Fred killed six people in 2021 and laid waste to a half billion-dollar swath of eastern Haywood County. Canton wasn’t even finished recovering from Fred when Helene roared through downtown, causing even more damage to hard-hit businesses — many of whom are still paying off Small Business Administration loans from COVID.
From the stage, Walz also used his platform to deliver a message local leaders have been fighting to get heard as the region’s precarious tourism-based economy recovers after missing out on the balance of fall’s important leaf season.
“I want to make a pitch to some of those folks across the country that are watching tonight. If you have never visited this American treasure of Asheville, book your tickets now,” he said, drawing a rousing response from the crowd. “This is a treasure. The food's fantastic. We heard it tonight — the music's electric. The creativity of the River Arts District is second to none in this country, and for the folks out there in America, these small businesses need your support. Come down here and spend money.”
After the event, Smathers said he was pleased with Walz’s pitch.
“That's exactly the message I wanted to hear. We've come a long way. We've got a lot more to do. But part of our recovery is for all of our communities, when ready, to welcome people back,” Smathers said. “We all know how special it is to live here in Western North Carolina. There's a time for supplies and prayers, but we do want people to come back to Western North Carolina, not just Buncombe County, but across the region.”
Walz’s visit comes as North Carolina remains a highly contested battleground state. Polls have consistently stuck within the margin of error, showing a one- or two-point lead by former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris appeared in Raleigh earlier in the day before heading to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, while Walz logged appearances in Greensboro and Charlotte before heading to Asheville.
