- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
- usa
- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
- usa
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, wagering that a former red-district congressman with a progressive streak can help her win over working-class voters in battleground states needed to beat Donald Trump in November.
“The entire country is about to see why their friends from Minnesota can’t stop bragging about Governor Walz,” Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “By picking a servant leader born and raised in a small town who has dedicated his career to protecting freedoms and lifting up working families, Vice President Harris has chosen the perfect foil for [Trump running mate] JD Vance and his politics of resentment.”
Sounds good on paper and Minnesotans seem to like him, I’ll be curious to see if he actually moves the needle any or contributes to the race. Potentially he could provide a bump after a debate with Vance, something akin to Biden’s VP debate performance against Paul Ryan after Obama seemed to flounder in his debate(s) against Romney, though I don’t think he’ll really sink the ticket any. Assuming he doesn’t make any huge blunders, he might be like Tim Kaine in 2016 and just not do anything.
Oh my god! I would love to see Tim Walz debate the couch fucker. I need to go buy some popcorn so I’m ready.
I think a VP Pick could really shift things positively because this isn’t a traditional race in any sense. For starters, the pick is so late in the season and Harris was already nationally known, so a lot of enthusiasm for something fresh will fall on the VP pick.