Journalist’s Notebook: Walz and Vance continue the tradition of orange bowling with the traveling press

Journalist’s Notebook: Walz and Vance continue the tradition of orange bowling with the traveling press

“We need to ride an orange this weekend,” I texted the group of reporters packing their lives into a suitcase and fitting in with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, traveling across the country with the Democratic vice-presidential candidate.

This is a decades-old tradition dating back to the days of the late President Ronald Reagan. Press traveling with a candidate rolls an orange down the aisle of the campaign plane with a question written on it. A response is written on the orange and then sent back to the journalists.

Continuing the tradition with a Sharpie almost out of ink, the Sunday reporters accompanied by Walz asked him who his dream guest was.

I tried to throw the orange down the aisle of the Boeing 757-200, but it reached halfway down the aisle and hit another passenger’s seat. I motioned for the passenger to roll the orange up further, and once he did, it was lost. At least that’s what we thought.

Monday evening, the orange was returned to us in the press procession with Walz’s response: “Bruce Springsteen.”

Walz and Vance continue orange bowling tradition with traveling press
Words written on an orange by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz aboard a campaign flight on October 7, 2024, in response to a question, also written on the orange, from press reporters about who would be the dream dinner guest.

CBS News


Walz has been open about his love for Springsteen’s music. In March 2023he declared “Bruce Springsteen Day” in Minnesota.

Springsteen, 20-time Grammy winner, approved the Harris-Walz ticket last week in a video.

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are committed to a vision of this country that respects and includes everyone, regardless of class, religion, race, political viewpoint or sexual identity,” Springsteen said. “This is the vision of America that I have written about constantly for 55 years.”

Reporters accompanied by Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, made their own orange roll Tuesday.

“To Vance: Favorite song? » they wrote.

“Led Zeppelin Ten Years Gone,” the orange said when it was quickly returned, according to pool reports.

In what was a intense presidential campaignit was a tradition that gave reporters and candidates a chance to lighten things up.