Every single person I asked about the vice-presidential pick expressed at least a personal preference for Tim Walz. Some thought that maybe a different candidate would be better on the narrow but obviously tantamount issue of winning, but in my circle of friends and associates, Walz was unanimously the sentimental choice. And I guess I fit into that category as well. I didn’t think Walz would lock down a key state for Harris, which both Mark Kelly and Josh Shapiro had the potential to do, and I wasn’t sure he was the smartest choice for that reason. But the more I thought about it, the more I warmed up to the idea of the Minnesota governor being on the ticket. In the end, it was what I was rooting for.
The risk seems really minimal, which is something I just couldn’t say about Shapiro. I think there’s some joyful warrior synergy between Harris and Walz. He’s a really likable guy, and I foresee a lot of smiling and laughter coming out of the campaign which will really contract with Trump and Vance’s doomsday message.
Walz’s record as governor is very strong from a progressive point of view, which is why progressives preferred him to the alternatives. But he got his national profile started by winning a very swingy purple district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The way he communicates and comports himself works very well in those competitive political spaces where this upcoming election will be won and lost.
I like that he has extensive executive experience as the head of a sizable state because I think that’s better preparation for being both a president and an effective vice-president than serving in the U.S. Senate. Looking back, the Democrats almost always choose a senator for a veep candidate, and I’m glad they went in a different direction here.
I’m not worried that Walz will be painted as a radical leftist because he doesn’t act like one and his legislative accomplishments are actually as popular as they are extensive. The more Republicans complain about Walz’s record, the more that outstanding record will reach the American voters’ consciousness, and that’s like free advertising.
I can’t point to one state where Walz will help specifically, but I suspect he will help in all 50 of them to one degree or another. Unlike J.D. Vance, who is an albatross.