Rural health care, farming support highlighted by Walz at Democratic campaign stop at Lawrence County farm
ADAMS TWP — The visit Tuesday, Oct. 15, from vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the Bloom Café was not only a welcome one for longtime Butler County resident Danielle Scherer, but also one that was a long time coming.
Scherer, of Center Township, said she has never seen a Democratic candidate visit Butler County on the presidential campaign trail, but Walz’s stop made sense after her experiences volunteering for the Butler County Democratic Committee.
“I’ve found that people are more open than you might think,” Scherer said. “Trump may have alienated some longtime Republicans, so why couldn’t Democrats come out here?”
Walz stopped at the Bloom Café in Adams Township, Butler County, after speaking earlier in the afternoon at a campaign event at Telesz Farms, outside Volant in Lawrence County.
In his speech at the farm, Walz drew contrasts between his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump, and referenced some of the her plans to address the needs of rural communities, like the one he was speaking to Tuesday.
Rick Telesz, the third generation of the Telesz Farms family, introduced Walz, saying the candidate has a background that gives him an understanding of the issues faced by the average family, especially those living in rural areas.
“He understands what it means to sit at that kitchen table and talk about the issues that affect our families,” Telesz said. “This administration that we are going to put in is going to make life better for all of us.”
In his speech, Walz said he was born in a small town in Nebraska where the community was tight-knit and politics were not at the forefront of life.
Walz used his small town background to further draw contrasts to Trump. Walz said he is a gun owner who hunts and understands issues such as crop insurance and the needs of farmers in 2024.
He threw jabs at Trump, saying the former president does not have solid policy plans and his speeches devolve into “rambling.”
Walz also spoke about Project 2025, a “presidential transition project” published by The Heritage Foundation whose authors include some former Trump staffers. He contended Trump would put it into action.
Walz said rural health care has been a growing issue that has left swaths of the population without access to a hospital. He also said support for independent pharmacies is a priority for the Harris campaign, because many rural communities are served by them.
“We’re going to recruit 10,000 health care professionals,” Walz said. “Ambulance deserts — there’s large places in America right now if you dial 911, it’s very difficult to get to an ambulance on time.”
In his 30-some-minute speech at the farm, Walz said Harris plans to expand Medicare to include hearing and vision care and expand funding for environmental needs.
Walz also touched on abortion access and price gouging in his speech, two topics that Slippery Rock resident Georgia Yeamans said she hoped to see Walz get “riled up” over.
“Corporations are not people is something I'd like to hear,” Yeamans said before the campaign stop.
Walz left the crowd at Telesz Farms urging them to vote and posing for photos with supporters at the event. He headed off in a caravan to the Bloom Café to meet about 25 to 30 supporters, and reinforce the message he delivered in Lawrence County.
Butler County Democratic Committee leader Catherine Lalonde said Walz’s talking points were relevant to Butler County, which has many people living in rural areas.
“They have announced programs for agriculture, that’s why they’re focused on farms; that’s going to be part of their policy,” LaLonde said. “Talking about health care in rural areas, hospitals are closing, so that’s part of what they’re focused on today and why they visited farms.”
Walz’s visit was well-received by other people at the café, who said Walz’s rural message resonated.
“If public education is defunded, there are no private schools in rural areas,” said Kathy Snyder, a volunteer for the Democratic committee. “Rural people have needs that as urbanites, we don’t always address. He’s looking at that.
“Trump doesn’t own this county,” Snyder added.
