With less than 90 days left until the November presidential election, things are heating up on the campaign trail.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz held campaign events Wednesday in Michigan and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance was also giving speeches to voters in the two battleground states.
Both campaigns used the opportunity to criticize the opposition, but not everything they said was accurate.
Since Harris picked Walz as her running mate, one key element of his biography has come under scrutiny: his military record. And in a speech Wednesday, Vance accused Walz of misleading voters about his time in the service.
RELATED STORY | Who is Tim Walz? Get to know Kamala Harris' pick for vice president
It all began with a comment Walz made about his stance on gun control. He said, "We can make sure those weapons of war that I carried in war are only carried in war."
However, Vance accused Walz of never going to war and claimed the Minnesota governor abandoned his unit just as they were about to go to Iraq in the early 2000s — where Vance himself was deployed as a Marine.
"He has not spent a day in a combat zone," Vance claimed. "What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not."
RELATED STORY | JD Vance lays out stipulation before agreeing to debate Tim Walz
Prior to getting involved in politics, Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard. He was deployed to Italy in 2003 in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
While he was not in an active combat zone, during his time in the National Guard, Walz held several positions, including Gunnery Sergeant and chief of the firing battery, until he became the battalion Sergeant Major.
The Harris-Walz campaign responded to Vance's claim, saying in part: "In his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American's service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It's the American way."
In regards to Vance's claim that Walz "abandoned his unit," Walz actually retired two months before his unit received a letter to be deployed to Iraq in July of 2005.
RELATED STORY | ABC says Trump and Harris have agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate
Vance's comment was not the only one on the campaign trail that deserved context.
In a speech at an event in Pennsylvania, Walz alluded to an online rumor about Vance that has since been debunked.
"I got to tell you, I can't wait to debate the guy," Walz said. "That is if he's willing to get off the couch and show up. You see what I did there?"
The comment was apparently in reference to a post on social media that has since gone viral regarding Vance's 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." The rumor alleges that Vance's book includes a passage about him doing inappropriate acts with an "inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions."
The post included a citation with page numbers, leading many to believe it was an authentic anecdote. However, it's not included anywhere in Vance's book and was completely fabricated.
Any false claims like these from either campaign could ultimately hurt their relationship with voters. And with less than three months until the presidential election, now is the time candidates should be looking to bolster voter support if they hope to win in November.
