Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) spoke to the same crowd in Boston one day earlier as Vice President Kamala Harris also courts the group for its endorsement.  

“Sounds like we’ve got some fans and some haters,” Vance responded as he appeared onstage at the International Association of Firefighters conference. “That’s OK. Listen to what I have to say here, and I’ll make my pitch.”

He faced some additional jeers while closing out his less than 15-minute speech that centered on appealing to union voters, a powerful voting bloc that typically sides with Democrats. The same group sided with President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Vance acknowledged there might be “skeptics” of Republican politicians in the crowd but sought to make a personal appeal by noting his change of mind on Trump and by reflecting on his experience with first responders when his mother suffered an overdose episode when he was 12 years old.

“I want you to know that for us, we did get a second chance,” Vance said. “So if you’re ever worried that you’re not making a difference, listen to this from a sad and tearful 12-year-old to a 40-year-old who’s now going to be your vice president. You do make a difference every single day, and I thank you for it.”

Vance also addressed the elephant in the room, which was Walz’s address to the group just 24 hours prior, making the case that endorsing Biden’s last go-around led to empty promises.

“I’m asking you to ignore the campaign rhetoric and look at the record,” he said. “In 2019, this union endorsed a Democrat for president with high hopes. But sadly, I believe you’ve been let down.”

As evidence, Vance cited an inflation and affordability crisis that has strained budgets and pensions, in addition to the influx of illegal immigration and drugs he said have burdened first responders like firefighters and EMTs.

“If we don’t secure our border soon, my friends, our cities are going to have to cut vital police, fire, and emergency medical services to the bone,” he said. “It’s you who’s going to suffer and the people you serve who are going to suffer. We shouldn’t be forced to spend billions of dollars on people who aren’t even supposed to be here. We should be spending that money on schools, police and fire departments, and our citizens.”