Vice presidential hopefuls are turning their attention on the Bay State and vying for an important endorsement.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance was in Boston Thursday, less than 24 hours after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz campaigned there.
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Vance spoke at the International Association of Firefighters' conference. He was a late add to the schedule, as both parties are trying to get the union's endorsement.
Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez, the only firefighter elected to Congress, introduced Vance Thursday.
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"You all are the embodiment of the American spirit. Heroic, determined, selfless, hardworking and tough. This country was built by people like you, America is great because of people like you and I believe you deserve a government that is loyal to you," Vance said in his opening remarks.
He then turned to issues, specifically, inflation, immigration and drug activity.
One point he stressed was the opioid crisis, specifically the use of Narcan, a drug used to treat overdoses. National data shows a significant increase in law enforcement seizures of pills containing the deadly drug in recent years. Vance tried to pin that increased prevalence of the drug on the Biden Administration's border security policies.
"Are you administering less NARCAN than you were four years ago? My guess is for almost every person in this room is no and that was a policy choice, a policy choice," Vance said.
On immigration, he pushed for stronger border security policies.
“We shouldn’t be forced to spend billions of dollars on people who aren’t even supposed to be here," he said.
He painted a Trump Administration as one tough on crime and on the side of first responders, "who keep this country safe every single day."
His speech was met with mixed reviews - both cheers and boos could be heard from the crowd at different points.
"I wish Vance had mentioned the economy more, other than border, he spent a lot of time on border," said Ray Vozzelli, a member of Philadelphia Fire Fighters' Union Local No. 22.
"I appreciate him coming out and talking to us and sharing some of his experiences," added Shannon Taylor of Spotsylvania Local 3886.
Walz spoke to the International Association of Firefighters' conference on Wednesday, a union that represents about 350,000 firefighters.
He spoke about his own experience as part of the nation's largest teachers' union, telling the group about what the Harris-Walz administration would do for first responders.
"When we're in office, we'll make sure you have all the resources and protections you need to do your jobs and your service is respected and that you come home safe every night," he said.
The IAFF is one of two major unions that have yet to endorse a candidate in this race. The IAFF often endorses Democrats in presidential years and while that might be the case again in 2024, Vance says that won’t deter the Republican ticket from supporting its members.
"Whether you support us or not, whether you endorse us or not, we believe in our first responders, we believe in our firefighters and we will never stop fighting for you," he said.
A union official told NBC News it does not plan to make a pick this week.
