When is Walz coming to R.I.? Event planners still ironing that out

Construction lifts, staging and storage are shown on the grounds at the entrance to Belcourt Castle at 657 Bellevue Ave., Newport on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)

Democratic party fundraisers appear to be still looking for a venue to host Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the coming weeks, and it’s unclear just how long the guest of honor could stay at such an event.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is invited to attend a fundraiser that organizers hope will raise $500,000, said Rhode Island Democratic National Committeeman Joe Paolino Jr.

Paolino, who is among those working to put the event together, on Friday reiterated the state party’s message that no details have been finalized.

“That’s all I can tell you. I’d hate to speculate since I don’t have all the facts,” Paolino said in an interview. “We want to do something, and if they tell us the date, we’ll be there for them.”

WPRI first reported that an invitation it had obtained suggested Walz would attend an event on Friday, Aug. 16, in Newport. 

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi told the Boston Globe Wednesday that the “plan is to host something in Newport next Friday at Belcourt (Castle).” But the grounds of the mansion on Bellevue Avenue in Newport owned by Carolyn Rafaelian is being used as a construction staging area for an event across the street at the Miramar estate through Aug. 18, said the house manager David Bettencourt.

Bettencourt deferred to Rafaelian for comment, but she did not immediately respond to a message.

“That was one of many options,” House spokesperson Larry Berman said Friday of Belcourt Castle. Berman could not immediately answer how many venues were being considered.

City of Newport spokesperson Tom Shevlin told Rhode Island Current he was not aware of any assigned police details for a major fundraising event over the next week. Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairwomen Liz Beretta-Perik did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Whenever and wherever the state’s high-profile Democratic donors meet, Paolino said any money raised will go toward the Harris-Walz campaign efforts in battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

“We need them there in order to win this election,” he said. 

A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign did not return a request for comment. Since Walz’s selection as Harris’ running mate Tuesday, Democrats have raised over $78 million in donations through their ActBlue platform, according to a third-party tracker.

This is a developing story.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX