VALDOSTA — There was a reason Joseph Grundy of Valdosta was at a Trump-Vance rally in Lowndes County Thursday.

“(Donald J.) Trump speaks the truth,” he said, “and I’m sure J.D. (Vance) does as well.”

Several hundred other supporters of the Republican presidential and vice-presidential candidates turned out for the rally as well, which was held at the Lowndes County Jail complex and attended by V.P. hopeful Vance himself.

Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk — a longtime Democrat — said Trump and Vance had his support for pro-law enforcement policies and pledges to close the U.S.’ border with Mexico to illegal immigrants.

State Sen. Russ Goodman, a Republican, told the crowd that “Every town has become a border town because of the policies” of Democratic president Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for the top job.

Vance told the crowd that Harris wants to take her “San Francisco liberalism” and apply it to the entire country. She was once the district attorney for that city.

Vance said Trump would be “hard on crime” and said he offered to help the town of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during major civil unrest four years ago as protesters rioted over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man.

Vance also said Harris wanted to redefine child sex trafficking in California as “nonviolent” during her San Francisco years.

Vance also said Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “did not carry a weapon in war.” According to the Associated Press, Walz served for 24 years in various Army National Guard units. He retired from the Guard in May 2005 just as he made a bid for a congressional seat. Later that year, Walz’s old unit was mobilized and sent to Iraq. He never served in a combat deployment.

Neither Trump nor Harris has served in the military; Trump received a series of draft deferments during the Vietnam war, including one stating medical reasons, the Associated Press said.

Vance — who served four years in the Marine Corps and served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005 — said he would, if elected, support veterans by re-introducing expanded choice for veterans dealing with the VA and who want to see non-VA doctors to ease long drives and long waits.

He also said the federal government needs to be able to fire the few “bad apples” in the VA system.

On the subject of immigration, Vance said one reason rural hospitals are suffering financial crises is because of free health care available to illegal immigrants.

Vance praised Ashley Paulk as “a great sheriff” and said that before the rally, local sheriffs showed him some of the contraband that had been picked up during drug stops.

Paulk said it was “kind of a tough act to follow a real Marine.”