Walz attends a college football game between Michigan and Minnesota before making final preparations for Tuesday’s debate | Associated Press

BELLEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz will make his final major campaign appearance before next week’s debate on Saturday at a football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Walz, the Minnesota governor, planned to meet young voters on college campuses before the game kicked off in the afternoon. Walz has leaned on his background as a football coach and teacher in his campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, and has made several recent visits to college campuses to interact with students.

The visit comes ahead of Tuesday’s debate between Walz and Donald Trump’s running mate, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. After Saturday’s game, Walz will travel to Northern Michigan to prepare for the final debate before faceoff, according to a source familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private preparations.

Trump held a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday and was also expected to attend a college football game – the prime-time game between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Harris campaign is running a new ad during the game, alerting Trump to the prospect of a second presidential debate. Harris said she would; Trump has ruled it out.

According to another person who also spoke on condition of anonymity, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg played the role of Vance in Walz’s debate preparation sessions, which so far have taken place at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

Michigan is one of the key battlegrounds in November’s presidential election. While Harris has visited Detroit multiple times since her campaign began in July, Walz has focused his efforts elsewhere in the state, including a recent trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city.

Walz has continued to engage with young voters on the campaign trail, including during a recent visit to Michigan State University. In 2022, Michigan saw the highest youth voter turnout in the nation as Democrats made historic gains in the state. Motivating similar voters could be crucial for Harris this year.

Following the vice presidential debate, Walz and Harris will campaign together on a bus tour of central Pennsylvania.

AP writers Will Weissert in Washington and Meg Kinnard in South Carolina contributed to this report.

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