On the evening of August 6, Vietnam time, American press and international news agencies reported that Ms. Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Reuters reported that Harris first revealed this in a text message to supporters. The news agency also quoted Harris as saying:
“As a governor, as a coach, as a teacher, as a veteran, he has served working families like himself. It’s been great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work.”
According to a statement from Harris’ campaign, the Harris-Walz pair will appear together for the first time as running mates at an event in Philadelphia.
Will Tim Walz help Harris protect the “blue wall”?
Twenty labor unions and two powerful progressive advocacy organizations were among the Minnesota voices that praised Walz’s “vice president” credentials, even before the news broke that he would be Harris’ vice presidential running mate.
Overall, according to Axios, the above details explain why Mr. Walz is the least divisive choice of the Democratic Party right now, and also the most likely to excite voters. As Jeff Blodgett of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL, Minnesota) said, Mr. Walz is “not only a safe choice, but also a positive choice.”
Walz is hardly an experienced politician by many accounts. The 60-year-old governor has only served 12 years in Congress, and is currently serving his second term in Minnesota.
Born in Nebraska, Mr. Walz is considered to be quite experienced compared to the typical politician, so he is somewhat “closer” to voters. He used to teach, got a master’s degree related to education, and then taught geography at the university, and… coached football in Mankato, Minnesota.
Walz’s down-to-earth, rural background and down-to-earth personality make him the frontrunner to help Harris win over white voters in rural areas, especially in the Democratic-leaning (Blue Wall) states that were key to Biden’s 2020 victory.
In fact, Mr. Walz has had many disagreements with the Democratic Party’s agenda. He has also been criticized for his handling of the George Floyd riots, as well as questions about his handling of the pandemic in Minnesota, which has seen one of the largest pandemic frauds in the country.
But that turned out to be a good thing! Democrats will be hoping that the Harris-Walz combination will help lift support in key states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
These are states that were once considered “blue wall states”, long-time “strongholds” of the Democratic Party. However, in recent years, all three states have tended to lean Republican, and supported Donald Trump in 2016 before returning to President Joe Biden.
Tim Walz: “Anti-Trump KOL”
If the agenda is about the long haul, Mr. Walz could also bring some advantages to Ms. Harris in the sprint: public opinion.
It is no surprise that the Democratic Party’s choice for vice president is a figure known for his anti-Donald Trump style – Ms. Harris’ opponent in November.
According to Reuters, Mr. Walz was famous for his “attacks” on Mr. Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, calling them “freaks.” This was a “catchy” insult that quickly attracted Ms. Harris’s campaign, social media, as well as Democratic Party activists.
“They keep talking about the middle class. A real estate predator and a venture capitalist trying to tell us they understand us? They don’t know who we are,” Mr. Walz said of Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance in an interview with MSNBC, a well-received argument that tried to distance the two Republicans from middle-class voters.
The American press commented that Mr. Walz’s approach had a good impact, resonating with young voters that Ms. Harris needed to “reintegrate”.
Axios notes that Walz has increased spending on welfare programs, education, paid leave for workers, and middle-class tax rebates, using Minnesota’s large surplus.
However, this spending leaves Minnesota with a smaller surplus in the short term, and a more likely deficit by 2027.
But who cares!
As time ticks down, Mr. Walz’s efforts to appeal to the middle class and young people, his charisma, could be his most useful weapon in winning over voters as November approaches.