Harris chose a real "country boy" as her vice president? Who is Waltz? | Washington Observer
2024-08-07
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On Tuesday morning (August 6th) local time in the United States, U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Harris announced that she has decided to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
"As a governor, (football) coach, teacher and veteran, he has worked hard for working families like his," Harris said in a statement on social media X. "We are glad he has joined our team. Now let's get to work!"
Walz responded in a tweet: "I'm committed to this. Let's get it done."
On Tuesday evening, Harris and Waltz made a public appearance at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, kicking off their five-day, seven-city swing state tour this week.
Analysts said that Harris chose a real "redneck" with the intention of challenging Trump's running mate, Cyrus Vance, the author of "Hillbilly Elegy."
Why Waltz?
Waltz, 60, is the 41st governor of Minnesota. Sources revealed that in the 16-day round of screening interviews, Waltz, known for his "ordinary" civilian image, finally defeated Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was previously seen as the most popular front-runner.
Minnesota, where Waltz is located, is a traditional "blue state" and a famous agricultural state in the United States. It borders two other key swing states, Wisconsin and Michigan. Political analysts said that Waltz is attractive to white and male voters in rural Midwest areas. In addition, some of his policies during his tenure as governor of Minnesota, such as free school meals and expanded paid leave for employees, are also popular among progressives.
Insiders familiar with Harris's selection process said that in addition to Waltz's administrative management experience and personal resume as governor, the campaign team believes that Waltz is an "effective communicator" to confront Trump. Previously, Waltz called Trump and the Republicans "weird", and the Harris team immediately adopted the same view, and this message quickly gained support from Democratic voters.
Several Democratic strategists said Waltz could help Harris get her message across to voters.
"He's very dynamic, he's a fierce but happy fighter," said Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist and member of the Democratic National Committee. She believes Walz can be a messenger for working-class voters who have drifted away from the Democratic camp. "Frankly, he has a quality that can move a lot of voters. In 2016, the Democratic Party lost these voters to Trump, and Biden was able to win them back. Governor Walz can do the same, and even more," Cardona said.
William Howell, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said Walz's "populist optimism" image and progressive background contrasted with the current situation in the Republican campaign, as the Republican Party has been talking about "America hitting rock bottom."
Kiki McLean, a veteran Democratic strategist who worked on the campaigns of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, said the job of the vice presidential candidate is to help the presidential candidate spread the message and be their partner in winning. "You have to trust the judgment of the person who is going to be your closest adviser," McLean said. "You have to look at their record, know them and understand them, and she (Harris) has obviously done that."
TRUMP: Thank you.
Republican presidential candidate Trump issued a brief statement on Tuesday about Harris' choice of Waltz as her running mate, but did not mention Waltz by name.
Shortly after Harris announced her choice of Waltz, Trump posted a message in all capital letters saying "Thank You" on his social media platform Truth Social.
About five hours later, Trump issued another statement saying: "This is the most radical left-wing duo in American history." Trump said: "There has never been anything like it, and there will never be anything like it again."
Several Republican insiders revealed that until Tuesday morning, they believed Harris would choose Shapiro because "Shapiro would make it easy for Harris to win Pennsylvania," which would make Trump's path to victory more difficult.
"He (Shapiro) will really hurt our election in Pennsylvania," said a Republican strategist, not only in the general election, but also in the three House seats in Pennsylvania.
Another Republican strategist involved in the Senate campaign said: "This is the first opportunity we have seized since Biden dropped out of the race." He also said that they thought Shapiro would "end the election early", but they did not expect the Democrats to miss such an opportunity.
House Majority Whip and Minnesota Republican Congressman Emmer called Harris' choice of Waltz "amazing," but it was a "great choice" for Republicans. "There's no better script than this," Emmer said.
(This article comes from China Business Network)
