Tim Walz’s rise as Kamala Harris’ running mate
As they walked out for the first time as presidential running mates on Tuesday night, Tim Walz turned to Kamala Harris and mouthed one word: “Wow.” The enthusiastic response from the Philadelphia crowd reflected the unlikely journey that the Minnesota governor had been on over the past week.
Few had Mr. Walz on their early lists of possible vice-presidential choices, but on Tuesday, the dark horse emerged victorious. In a year when “vibes” have been everything in politics, Kamala Harris went for exactly that: good vibes.
The Minnesota governor’s “Midwestern nice” appeal shines through even when he’s throwing political punches. His background as a teacher, football coach, and Army National Guard enlisted soldier broadcasts “meat-and-potatoes middle America,” complemented by his balding, rotund, and slightly disheveled appearance.
This was on full display in Philadelphia. After noting that violent crime rates rose under Donald Trump, he added with a smile, “and that doesn’t even count the crimes he committed.” He called the Republican ticket “weird as hell,” a label that has quickly become a Democratic mantra. On the topic of abortion, he said the government should follow a Midwestern golden rule: “Mind your own damn business.”
Mixing humor with jabs and speaking openly of the “joy” he sees in Democratic politics may prove more effective in convincing undecided voters than the dark “threat to democracy” rhetoric previously used by the Biden campaign. Mr. Walz’s aw-shucks affability stands in sharp contrast to other possible choices, like the polished and ambitious Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, with his arrow-straight military demeanor.
Mr. Shapiro, serving as the warm-up act for the new Democratic ticket, received a hero’s welcome from his home-state crowd. It was a reminder of what Ms. Harris passed over in picking Mr. Walz—a popular politician with a silver tongue from one of the most important states on the electoral map.
Mr. Walz, however, was a safer pick than the Pennsylvanian, whose criticism of pro-Palestinian protesters and support for using public funds for private schools prompted objections from key parts of the Democratic base. These risked reopening intraparty divisions at a time when Democrats were finally pulling together.
While Minnesota is not a battleground state, the Harris campaign may hope that Mr. Walz’s Midwestern appeal in places like Wisconsin and Michigan will ultimately help decide the election. By taking a Republican-held House seat in 2006, Mr. Walz has shown he can win over rural and Republican voters. He’s also adept at defending his progressive legislative record in a way that moderates and independents can understand.
A native of Nebraska, which in 2020 delivered one of its electoral votes to Joe Biden, Mr. Walz could make a significant difference in a close race. Nancy Pelosi, instrumental in persuading Joe Biden to step aside for Ms. Harris, has praised the “wonderful” Mr. Walz. His 2006 victory helped deliver the House majority to Ms. Pelosi and the Democrats for the first time in 12 years.
The Trump campaign has branded him a “dangerously liberal extremist” and a “far-left lunatic,” pointing to his record in Minnesota of enacting left-wing social programs and his handling of demonstrations following George Floyd’s death in 2020.
Republicans may welcome not facing off against Mr. Shapiro, who has a more centrist profile and might have given Ms. Harris a decisive boost in Pennsylvania. JD Vance, Mr. Walz’s Republican adversary for the vice-presidency, claimed the choice showed Ms. Harris was willing to “bend the knee to the most radical elements of her party.” Trump stated that Mr. Walz would unleash “HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable.”
Despite these attacks, making such rhetoric stick on Mr. Walz’s friendly, meat-and-potatoes persona will be challenging for the Trump campaign. Now the newly minted Democratic ticket hits the campaign trail, with 91 days left until election day.
“That’s easy,” Mr. Walz said of the three-month home stretch. “We can sleep when we’re dead.”
Source: BBC
