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If there was any doubt as to why Kamala Harris nominated a governor from the Upper Plains state, whom 7 out of 10 Americans recently had no opinion of at all, as her running mate, his speech to tens of thousands of Democrats late Wednesday demonstrated why he made that choice.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s appearance at the Democratic convention, inclusive, at times bipartisan and consistently with the Midwestern common sense, showed that Harris was considering the broadest field of candidates when she chose perhaps the most dubious candidate as her frontrunner. Walz, a former state championship football coach and senior National Guardsman, is the embodiment of the type of national security liberal liberals have been seeking for more than two decades as a vice presidential candidate, someone who can confidently convince the country that strong defense is not just the responsibility of Republicans and that Democrats know how to aim and fire a gun, too.
“Look, I know guns. I’m a veteran. I’m a hunter. And I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress, and I have the trophies to prove it,” Walz said in Chicago.
The efficient, conversational speech capped a whirlwind reboot for the Democrats. With free rein to re-plan her Democratic Party’s next steps, Harris chose a former high school teacher who minces his words as her running mate – a move that seemed as smart as it was wise when Walz took the stage at the end of Wednesday’s session at Chicago’s United Center.
“Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced. Kamala Harris is ready,” said Walz, who took on the running mate’s top job as the boss’s hype machine. “Our job is to get in the trenches and block and tackle.”
Since President Joe Biden resigned four weeks ago, Democrats have regained not only hope but also fighting spirit. The distribution of the 270 electoral votes has been reorganized with the first woman of color as the party’s presidential candidate, and Walz is in the position to hold the Biden-like coalition in the so-called Blue Wall states.
From the first moments of the convention, it was clear that Democrats knew they had little time to introduce their replacement candidate and would use any shortcut they could find. “Let’s vote for our MVP, Kamala Harris, and our coach, Tim Walz,” said Jamie Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, at the opening of the event on Monday.
While previous vice presidential candidates – a former vice president in Al Gore, incumbent senators In Joe Lieberman, Biden, Tim Kaine and Harris – were well known in Washington’s green rooms, but Walz was hardly a familiar face in Washington. Although Walz served in the U.S. House of Representatives, few Democratic activists saw him as a future face of the party. That’s why Walz’s appearance on the national stage in recent weeks was more important than most of the get-to-know-you sessions that aired on C-SPAN.
In his biggest moment before the debate with his Republican counterpart, JD Vance, Walz seemed to have hit the nail on the head. At some moments, it was abundantly clear that Walz could appeal to moderate and conservative voters who might not be entirely on Harris’ side. He took a few swipes at the Republican agenda and proved to be a capable stooge for Harris. But he also seemed anything but partisan, which is a far cry from the role Vance, a first-term senator from Ohio, has carved out for himself.
“I have learned to compromise without compromising my values,” said Walz, presenting himself as a personality who could not be labeled a bungler.
But for Democrats needing a push to staff the campaign offices in the suburbs and bedroom towns they so often avoid, Walz had an equally calibrated tool. If Democrats were looking for an affable dad to carpool their kids, they seem to have struck gold in Walz.
Certainly few voters decide how they will behave in the voting booth when choosing a vice president. No one decided against Hillary Clinton in 2016 because they found Kaine offensive, and even fewer found a reason to reject Mitt Romney in 2012 because he chose to include then-Chairman Paul Ryan in his backup plan. The vice presidential choice only matters when it is botched. See Sarah Palin, 2008.
Walz, an equally unknown governor with a backbencher resume, might fit that mold. Both have, of course, successfully introduced themselves at party conventions in the Midwest. But up to this brief point, there’s little reason to believe Walz is as inexperienced as Palin or carries as much potential for self-implosion. Instead, Walz seems perfectly comfortable — if a little corny — in his role as the dad-next-door who never found a cliche he didn’t find useful as an expression of his feelings. “There’ll be time to sleep when you’re dead” and “mind your damn business” both found their way into his text on Wednesday.
But despite the phrase “The government stays the hell out of your bedroom,” he also brought enough fire to keep the Democratic base happy without alienating the centrist core that makes up this nation. Walz hit the nail on the head when he said as governor he made sure that all students in Minnesota received free breakfast and lunch. “While other states banned books from schools, we banned hunger from ours,” Walz said to applause in Chicago.
A simple message, sure. But with the opening act, it’s often best to leave it at that – especially when the lead on the bill is doing so well.
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