The election of the vice president Kamala Harris for his running mate came down to two governors: one who offered to hand over the most populous battleground of 2024 but threatened to alienate important factions of the partyand a little-known contender with progressive credentials from a reliably blue state.
In the end, Harris passed over the selection of a more politically valuable state – Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro – for Tim Walz from Minnesota, opting for a folksy governor whose derision of Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird” became a rallying cry for Democrats.
The selection of Walz completes a two-week reshuffle of the Democratic ticket after President Donald Trump Joe Biden ended his re-election campaignand focuses on the party’s hopes of defeating Trump to turn out progressive voters and rank-and-file union members whose support for the incumbent president had eroded.
The homework of Walz It is clear: to return to the democratic blocks that moved away from Bidenwhile fine-tuning the party’s message on the economy – a defining issue – to broaden the party’s appeal in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Walz’s potential to unite the party’s base and broaden its appeal was immediately evident by the endorsement he received from independent Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. — a onetime centrist Democrat — and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a prominent liberal figure.
Manchin said Walz could “return normalcy to a chaotic political environment” that many have seen. Ocasio-Cortez said Harris and Walz will “govern effectively, inclusively and boldly,” calling their addition to the ticket an “excellent decision” in a post on X.
The selection is in some ways symbolic of the way Harris’s candidacy has upended an electoral map that just last month had Republicans eyeing Minnesota as a potential win.Walz, 60, demonstrated his straightforward approach, which helped him win six House terms from a rural, conservative district and two terms as governor, before his selection.
“These guys are just weird,” Walz said.a slur that casts Trump as out of character and energizes Democrats who have often struggled to find the right counterpoint to the former president. Trump, a convicted felon who advocates policies that seek to test the limits of American law, was the favorite against Biden for much of the summer.
Union friendly
Walz was praised by progressives and union leaders, who had pushed for his selection.AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler praised him Tuesday as a “labor champion who will stand up for workers.”
As governor, Walz signed legislation providing free breakfast and lunch to students, and expanded child care and paid family and medical leave — achievements Democrats hope will resonate with voters hammered by high prices and anxiety about jobs and wages. Pocketbook issues will be central to the Democratic message as Harris seeks to counter one of her biggest liabilities — voter discontent with Biden’s handling of the economy.
Trump has made inroads with blue-collar workers, an effort Republicans sought to bolster with the populist economic approach of Vance. Vance’s message is one Walz will have to counter. While Harris can boast endorsements from labor leaders, support has been less robust among rank-and-file union members who are wary of the Biden administration’s clean energy push.
Ticket balance
Walz emerged from a short list of mostly white and male elected officials, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, seen as someone bringing balance to an already historic ticket. Harris is seeking to become the first Black woman and first Asian American president.
Before entering politics, Walz served in the Army National Guard and worked as a high school teacher. In the House, she focused primarily on the military and veterans, as well as agricultural issues — areas where Harris’ standing can be improved.
He has often shown an independent streak — winning an endorsement from the National Rifle Association before supporting gun restrictions, and as one of the few Democrats who once voted to hold then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. Holder would then lead the evaluation of Harris’ running mates.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Walz on Tuesday. “Growing up as a farm boy, Governor Tim Walz knows the heart of America”he said in a statement.
Carrying Walz’s state offers to be an afterthought for Democrats. Minnesota last voted for a Republican for president in 1972, when Richard Nixon carried the state in a national victory. However, neighboring Wisconsin is a swing state, and Walz’s birthplace of Nebraska does not award its five electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis.leaving room for a victory.
Shapiro offered to hand the party to Pennsylvania, which has the most Electoral College votes of the seven swing states, but his support for Israel in its war against Hamas threatened to spark a revolt from the Democratic left.Vance criticized Harris for not choosing Shapiro, blaming “anti-Semitism in her own caucus” in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Republican attacks
One of the challenges Walz must overcome is the lack of a national profile. An ABC News/Ipsos poll of American adults from July 26-27 found that 57% said they didn’t know what their impression of Walz was, and nearly a third had no opinion of him.
Republicans reveled in the selection, attacking Walz for being too liberal for voters. and resurfacing images of civil unrest in his state after the killing of George Floyd, signaling that crime and race will be persistent issues in the election.
Trump at a rally in Minnesota in July portrayed Walz as incapable of controlling protests in 2020. “When the violent mobs of anarchists and looters and Marxists came to burn down Minneapolis four years ago, remember, I couldn’t get the governor to act,” Trump said.
In an attempt to define Walz, the Trump campaign called him a “dangerous liberal extremist” in a statement Tuesday and a video attacked him as “a rubber stamp” for Harris’ agenda. Walz, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, also came under fire from his counterpart, the Republican Governors Association.
“His record shows that he consistently supports the most liberal policies that national Democrats have to offer.”RGA Executive Director Sara Craig said in a memo.
He will get his first test Tuesday night at a rally in Philadelphia as he seeks to introduce himself to voters.
Former Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Walz could deliver Harris’ liberal philosophy with a different style. “It is like Bernie Sanders with hunting gear,” Pawlenty said.
