Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz may be able to shore up support among groups the Democratic party has recently struggled with — white, blue-collar workers and men — even as Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy has reenergized Democratic women, younger, Black, and Latino voters.
Walz’s Unique Appeal
Her new running mate, who’s a veteran and a former teacher with a Midwestern demeanor, holds an appeal that could be critical in the three states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan — and could make or break the race.
“He’s a firewall candidate,” said Antjuan Seawright, a South Carolina-based Democratic strategist. “He certainly is respected, not only because of his resume and his body of work, but he’s respected as an executive, he’s respected as a former member of Congress, he yields the support of America’s heartbeat, that’s teachers in this country.”
Balancing the Democratic Ticket
Even as Harris outperforms President Joe Biden across key voting blocs, the decision to elevate Walz, 60, creates a Democratic ticket that many Harris allies and Democrats argue will serve to complement the vice president, who is Black and Indian American and hails from deep-blue California. Walz was selected from a list of finalists — a group of white men — that Democrats say balances the ticket and widens its appeal.
“The one constituency that was hanging a little tougher with Biden was older, white and blue-collar voters in those blue wall states. I think that’s the potential Walz has to bring those votes to the table,” said Democratic Strategist Mark Longabaugh, who worked on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaigns. “She has clearly reenergized the Democratic base of the party, younger voters, people of color. And so I think they won’t hurt her there in any way, but the assist will be in the other direction.”
Geographic and Demographic Strategy
In picking Walz, Harris is bypassing the contender widely seen as helping her most in Pennsylvania, the state’s governor, Josh Shapiro. That’s no small sacrifice, given the state’s significance. Minnesota is less competitive, last going for a Republican for president, Richard Nixon, in 1972.
Still, many Democrats view Walz’s resume and communication style as one that could also buoy support more broadly in the Midwest and Rust Belt — including in Pennsylvania.
Military and Teaching Background
Walz pioneered the Democratic attack on former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as “weird,” and consistently offered up a plainspoken defense of Democratic aims to improve the social safety net and get past political divisions in his cable news interviews.
They point to his military service, which will provide a counterpoint to Vance’s prior service in the Marines. Walz was also a teacher and held a significantly rural congressional seat, even as former President Donald Trump carried it by 15 percentage points in 2016. He emerged in recent days as the favorite among Democrats in Congress competing in rural and competitive districts and who argued Walz could speak directly to voters in flyover country.
Labor and Union Support
Walz, a former union member, was also a top pick among labor leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, who said he wanted either the Minnesota governor or Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Like Biden, Walz joined striking auto workers on the picket line at the Stellantis parts distribution facility in Plymouth, Minnesota, last October. He also signed into law one of the most significant packages of worker-friendly policies in state history, increasing protections for workers to unionize.
Strategic Communication and Campaigning
“He just feels very authentic, very Midwest in a place where this is going to come down to three states in the Midwest,” said Democratic strategist Pete Giangreco, who’s worked on multiple presidential campaigns and said locking up Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, plus Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district electoral vote would be a possible path to victory. “Vice President Harris seems to be doing well with independent women, and I think there’s a case to be made to independent men. I think picking a Midwestern governor who’s served in the National Guard, like Walz, is a smart move towards that.”
Democrats argue there are ways that Walz can be a boon for Harris beyond geographic politics, too. As chair of the Democratic Governors Association and a top Biden campaign surrogate, Walz has appeared on the stump for months, counterprogramming Trump campaign events and making him a “top-notch evangelist for the successes” Harris had as vice president, Seawright said.
He rose as a dark horse in the veepstakes, performing his way to a top contender spot as viral clips of his cable news interviews circulated on the internet. His “weird” messaging has been adopted by the Harris campaign in interviews and social media.
Fundraising and Momentum
Immediately after reports that Walz was Harris’ running mate, $6.6 million was raised on ActBlue, the major Democratic fundraising platform, between 9 a.m. to noon Eastern Time on Tuesday, compared to $1.7 million raised over the same time period the day before.
Conclusion
“One of the things about vice presidents, too, the advantage of the pick is not always a geographic or demographic pick-up. It’s stylistic. I’ll never forget when Bill Clinton tapped Al Gore [in 1992], everyone was like, what? Two southerners? And that wasn’t the pick. The pick was energy and youth, get the country moving again. It was time for change and freshness, and just the dynamism of the two of them,” Longabaugh said.
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