Joe McConnell
As they stepped out for the first time as presidential running mates Tuesday night, Tim Walz turned to Kamala Harris and uttered a single word: “wow.”
It mirrored the enthusiasm of the Philadelphia crowd, but it also reflected the unusual path the Minnesota governor has taken in the last week.
Few people had put Mr. Walz on their first lists of possible vice-presidential picks. But on Tuesday, the dark horse won the race.
In a year when “vibes” have been everything in politics, the economy, and the campaign trail, that’s exactly what Kamala Harris has been looking for: good vibes.
The governor of Minnesota has a Midwest nice charm, even when he’s throwing political punches. His background — teacher, football coach, Army National Guard enlisted man — conveys “middle America, meat and potatoes,” as does perhaps his bald, rotund, slightly disheveled appearance.
All of this was on display here in Philadelphia.
After noting that violent crime rates have risen under Donald Trump, he added — with a smile — “and that’s not even counting the crimes he’s committed.” He called the Republican ticket “weird as hell,” a label that became a Democratic mantra in a matter of days. And on the issue of abortion, he said the government should follow a Midwestern golden rule: “Mind your own fucking business.”
Mixing humor with barbs — and speaking openly about the “joy” of Democratic politics — may prove a more effective way to win over swing voters who simply haven’t been convinced by the Biden campaign’s dark “threat to democracy” rhetoric.
Mr. Walz’s brash affability stood in stark contrast to other possible choices: the polished, ambitious Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, with his straight-as-an-arrow military demeanor.
Mr. Shapiro served as a trailblazer for the new Democratic ticket, and he received a hero’s welcome from his home-state crowd. It was a reminder of what Ms. Harris overlooked in choosing Mr. Walz, a smooth-talking, grassroots politician from perhaps the most important state on the electoral map.
Mr. Walz was a safer choice than the Pennsylvanian, however, whose criticism of pro-Palestinian protesters and support for using public funds for private schools drew objections from key segments of the Democratic base. That risked reopening internal party divisions at a time when Democrats were finally coming together.
And while Minnesota is not a contested state, the Harris campaign may be hoping that Mr. Walz has Midwestern appeal, in places like Wisconsin and Michigan, that will ultimately help decide this election.
By winning a Republican-held seat in the House of Representatives in 2006, Mr. Walz has already demonstrated that he can win over significant numbers of Republican and rural voters.
And Mr. Walz has proven adept at defending his record of progressive legislation in a way that moderate and independent voters can understand.
He’s also a native of Nebraska, which gave one of its electoral votes to Joe Biden in 2020. It’s by far the smallest battleground, but in a tight race, it could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic power broker who played a key role in convincing Joe Biden to step aside in favor of Ms. Harris, had no shortage of praise for “the wonderful” Mr. Walz.
It’s no surprise. His 2006 victory helped deliver the House majority to Mrs. Pelosi as Speaker of the House, and to Democrats for the first time in 12 years.
Republicans will try to erase these early good vibes and replace them with a darker picture.
Trump’s campaign has already branded him a “dangerously liberal extremist” and a “far left crazy”.
They point to his history of implementing left-wing social programs in Minnesota and accuse him of not doing enough to control the demonstrations that erupted after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in 2020.
At the very least, Republicans might welcome not having to face Shapiro, who has a more centrist profile and may have given Harris a decisive boost in Pennsylvania.
J.D. Vance, Mr. Walz’s Republican opponent for the vice presidency, said the pick showed Ms. Harris was willing to “kneel before the most radical elements of her party.”
Meanwhile, Trump has claimed that Mr Walz will unleash “HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable.”
But even if Mr. Walz presents a more inviting target for Republicans, keeping his rhetoric focused on his friendly, down-to-earth personality will be no easy task for the Trump campaign.
Now the new Democratic list enters the electoral campaign, 91 days before Election Day.
“It’s easy,” Mr. Walz said of the final three-month stretch. “We can sleep when we’re dead.”
