One week ago, Vice President Kamala Harris was shoring up the delegates and party support to ensure that she will be the official Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. I’ve never seen someone hit the ground running like VP Harris – the speed with which she assumed the role of nominee was amazing and she’s already been campaigning her ass off. Meanwhile, there was of course an immediate concern for VP Harris and her campaign: who would be her running mate? They’ve been doing quick-yet-thorough vetting on at least six boring white men, because she’s absolutely going to choose a white guy running mate. Everyone’s made their peace with that. So who is the best contender? Kentucky’s Gov. Andy Beshear? North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper? Arizona’s Senator Mark Kelly? Illinois’s Gov. Pritzker? Pennsylvania’s Gov. Shapiro? That was Harris’s shortlist five days ago or so.
Well, some of those guys have been campaigning as well, making this a veepstakes via television appearance. Something really funny has happened too – while Gov. Beshear has gotten really high marks in his TV appearances, a dark horse has emerged, someone who wasn’t even on some of the shortlists: Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz. Walz’s TV appearances are already legendary, and his folksy, regular-dad style of attacking the Trump-Vance campaign has gotten high marks. His insistence that Donald Trump and JD Vance are simply “really weird” has even been adopted by the Harris campaign. Bloomberg even reports that Gov. Walz is on the latest shortlist:
Vice President Kamala Harris is zeroing in on a group of potential running mates, as she faces a two-week dash to make the biggest decision of her nascent presidential bid. Harris is considering a wide range of vice presidential candidates from the Democratic Party’s bench, though people familiar with the process say a short list has emerged including three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said she “directed her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates” but declined to elaborate on the search. Harris is expected to make a selection by Aug. 7, in order to align with the party’s plan to virtually nominate a ticket by that date.
Picking a vice presidential candidate will cement the Democratic standard-bearers to take on Republican nominee Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance in the November election. Harris’ sidekick can serve as a force multiplier who can campaign and raise money on her behalf, while ideally complimenting her strengths and covering any vulnerabilities.
Most on Harris’ list are White, male politicians with centrist leanings who could help Harris appeal to swing-state voters, as well as business leaders and donors. They have a track record of attacking Trump and his firebrand style of politics. Walz has gained momentum with progressives, enough to vault himself into consideration, according to people familiar with the matter.
Allies of Harris say chemistry between the vice president and whoever she picks is just as important as their political attributes. Harris knows firsthand the pressures of being No. 2 on the Democratic ticket and is weighing her experience as she makes a selection, according to her supporters.
Personal chemistry should not be underrated, which is why I think Gov. Walz has emerged as a favorite too – he seems really normal, he seems like the kind of folksy guy who tells dad jokes and appeals to a lot of Rust Belt voters. I could absolutely see Walz and VP Harris getting along really well on a personal level (he’s a bit like Doug, tbh). NBC News said as much too – they did a really nice profile on Walz, with many Dem sources saying that Walz is seen as someone who can “shore up the Blue Wall” in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. His biography makes him an attractive candidate too – a veteran, a former public school teacher, very pro-labor, very popular with the progressive wing of the party and popular because of his family-friendly policies. What’s more is that… Walz really wants it. He’s been happy to make the TV show rounds and make the case for Kamala Harris and for Democrats nationwide. Anyway, I’m calling it: I think Tim Walz is going to aw-shucks his way into the vice presidency and Kamala Harris’s heart.
I’m telling you: these guys are weird. pic.twitter.com/fvNRNf7T7T
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 24, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.