As he made his first exit as a presidential running mate Tuesday night, Tim Walz mouthed one word to Kamala Harris: “Wow.”
Not only did it get an enthusiastic response from the Philadelphia crowd, it also reflected the unexpected journey the Minnesota governor has been on over the past week.
Few had Mr. Waltz on their initial shortlists for vice presidential nomination, but on Tuesday the dark horse emerged victorious in the race.
In a year when “vibe” dominates everything in politics, economics and campaigning, Kamala Harris was going for exactly that: good vibes.
Even when he's throwing political punches, the Minnesota governor has a “Midwestern friendliness” charm. His background – teacher, football coach, Army National Guard enlisted soldier – channels “meat-and-potatoes Middle America,” and perhaps his balding, chubby, slightly disheveled appearance does too.
All of this was on display in Philadelphia.
After noting that violent crime rates have increased under Donald Trump, he added with a smile, “That doesn’t even include the crimes he committed.” He called the Republican candidate “strange as hell,” which became a Democratic rallying cry within days. And on the topic of abortion, he said the government should follow the Midwestern golden rule: “Mind your own business.”
Mixing humor with criticism and speaking openly about the “joy” he sees in Democratic politics may be a more effective way to win over voters who aren’t convinced by the dark “threat to democracy” rhetoric the Biden campaign has been using.
Mr. Waltz’s quirky friendliness stands in stark contrast to the other candidates, including the sophisticated and ambitious Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and the straightforward, military-like Arizona senator Mark Kelly.
Mr. Shapiro served as a warm-up for the new Democratic candidate and received a heroic welcome from his hometown residents, a reminder of what Ms. Harris overlooked in choosing Mr. Walz: a popular politician with a smooth tongue in perhaps the most important state in the electoral map.
But Mr. Waltz was a safer choice than the Pennsylvanian. He faced opposition from key members of the Democratic base by criticizing Palestinian protesters and supporting public funding for private schools, which risked rekindling divisions within the party at a time when the party was finally coming together.
While Minnesota is not a key battleground, Harris's campaign hopes Waltz will find appeal in Midwestern states like Wisconsin and Michigan, which could ultimately help decide the election.
