Tim Walz has officially accepted his nomination as the Democratic vice presidential candidate for the US election in November and gathered party supporters in Chicago with a message of freedom and hope.

“It is my greatest honor to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States,” Walz said Wednesday as he took the stage at the end of the third day of the Democratic National Convention. “We are all here tonight for one wonderful and simple reason. We love this country.”

Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota, was relatively unknown until Kamala Harris named him her running mate just over two weeks ago.

Walz spoke about his childhood in a town of only 400 people in Nebraska, his service in the National Guard and his experiences as a teacher.

He stressed the importance of preserving personal freedoms and took a swipe at Republicans who have pushed back abortion rights, saying that in his experience, most Americans view such issues as private matters.

“We respect our neighbors and their personal choices,” he said of his Midwestern community. “And even if we wouldn’t make those choices for ourselves, we have one rule: ‘Mind your own sh*t.'”

The crowd, many of which held “Coach Walz” banners in reference to his years as a football coach, cheered and waved.

Freedom was the theme of the third day of the convention, which saw Democratic greats such as former President Bill Clinton take the stage, as well as celebrities such as singers Stevie Wonder and John Legend, comedian Mindy Kaling and media star Oprah Winfrey.

“Decency and respect”

The message of the speakers supporting Harris and Walz was predominantly one of optimism, but there were also numerous swipes at Trump, who was portrayed as vain and self-centered.

“Next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the ‘I’s,” Clinton, now 78, told the crowd.

There was deafening cheering as Winfrey, who later described herself as independent, took the stage.

She mobilized the crowd with her strong commitment to democracy and the need to get voters to the polls.

“I call on all independents and all undecideds,” Winfrey said. “Values ​​and character are important in leadership and in life. Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.”

Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate last month after President Joe Biden resigned.

The convention also included numerous Republicans who opposed Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021.

On Wednesday, Democrats turned the spotlight on January 6, 2021 with a video in which Trump called on his supporters to be strong and fight before storming the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent Biden’s victory in 2020.

The delegates sat in stunned silence, a sharp contrast to their roar and applause throughout the night.

Olivia Troye, who resigned from her job as a national security official in the White House under Trump after the attack on the Capitol, said the Republican candidate was laying the groundwork for undermining the 2024 election.

Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor of Georgia, spoke directly into the camera to tell his Republican colleagues watching from home that they needed to “get rid of” Trump.

“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot,” he said.

Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who was Speaker of the House at the time of the attack on the Capitol, said: “We must not forget who attacked democracy on January 6: it was him. But we must not forget who saved democracy that day: it was us.”

Harris, 59, is expected to officially accept her nomination on Thursday and deliver a speech on the closing night of the convention.