Gwen Walz headlines Omaha reproductive rights rally in 'battleground Nebraska'

Gwen Walz, the wife of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, actress Connie Britton and other Democrats rallied in Omaha Saturday to support reproductive rights.

Walz, the current first lady of Minnesota and a former teacher in Alliance, Nebraska, was the rally's key speaker alongside actress Britton, best known for her starring roles in "Friday Night Lights" and the "Nashville" television shows. It was warm and windy as about 100 people gathered at Metropolitan Community College's Fort Campus for the Omaha stop of the Kamala Harris campaign's Fighting for Reproductive Freedom bus tour.

"Those winds, Nebraska," Gwen Walz said upon taking the stage, "those are the winds of change."

The bus tour, which made its 45th stop in Omaha after starting in Florida last month, aims to focus voters on reproductive and abortion issues, on which there is a sharp contrast between Harris' and Republican president candidate Donald Trump.

"We do not take too kindly in Nebraska to bullies like Trump... telling us when, if, or how to start our families," Walz said.

Walz highlighted her fertility struggles, about which both she and her husband have spoken since he was selected as Harris' running mate. The couple's first child, Hope, was conceived using intrauterine insemination, or IUI, a type of fertility treatment.

"Our path to parenthood was not easy," she said. "We knew we wanted to have a family, and we struggled. But thankfully, we had access to fertility treatments. And we kept that decision almost entirely to ourselves — because, you see, it was our business."

Britton, taking to the stage wearing a camouflage Harris-Walz baseball cap, said she was glad to have candidates in the race who "brought back joy." She spoke in favor of Initiative 439, a measure on the state's ballot that would enshrine the right to an abortion until fetal viability in the Nebraska Constitution.

"I would like to point out how many men there are in this audience today," Britton said. "Let's remind ourselves, in case we forget, reproductive rights is not a women's issue. It is an everyone issue. It is, most importantly, a family issue."

Many speakers touched on the importance of the "Blue Dot" of Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Omaha and has been the subject of national attention in recent weeks after a Trump-supported attempt to change Nebraska's electoral system to winner-take-all.

The effort failed, prompting a surge of Democratic excitement and a small army of blue dot yard signs across the city. Some rally attendees wore shirts with a blue dot emblazoned on the front. Others wore shirts with slogans like "Balz to the Walz" and "Educators for Kamala and Tim."

Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Nebraska's role in this election could be significant beyond the presidential race, with a competitive house race between U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and Tony Vargas and a surprisingly strong challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer by independent candidate Dan Osborn.

"This isn't just Nebraska, this is battleground Nebraska," Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said. "Right here in Nebraska, not only will the president be determined, but also whether or not we get the majority back in the House of Representatives, and whether or not we keep the majority in the United States Senate."

Walz urged people to get involved in the campaign in the final weeks.

"Knock some doors," Walz said. "Make some calls. And take your friends along, too. Have hard conversations with your neighbors — even those with a sign in their yard that you might not love. Because we aren't giving up, and we aren't giving up on them either."

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