Vetting Down to Shapiro and Walz!). Walz Helps in 50 States.
I am originally from Montana. I worked in two of Jon Tester’s campaigns…and there’s one vice presidential candidate more than any of the others who will help Jon Tester get reelected to his very essential Senate seat. That candidate is Tim Walz—because Walz speaks the language of resonance and respect for small town folks everywhere. He also understands their immense frustration and their profoundly appropriate need to be as acknowledged, supported and respected as fully as every other group of Americans.
As I think of the senatorial campaigns that are being contested, it is certain that Josh Shapiro can, and will help in Pennsylvania. It is not clear that he would help in any other states. However, for different reasons (as a Bloomberg editorial endorsing Walz for VP recently pointed out), Tim Walz will probably help in all of those Senate races…and in every other state in America.
In addition, this morning USA Today is reporting that the vetting process is down to just two candidates: Josh Shapiro and Tim Walz, and that the decision will be announced tomorrow morning….and, while Pennsylvania is the first stop of her new VP tour, her second stop will be in Eau Claire, Wisconsin–which is just 50 miles from the Minnesota border.
In Arizona Walz certainly will help with the senior vote, the Native American Vote (Walz taught on the Pine Ridge Reservation) and the guy vote. In Ohio he has a special appeal to all those steel workers in the southeast corner of the state. in Nevada his appeal to union workers and retirees could be incredibly helpful, and everywhere Walz will engage teachers and coaches (and people who had great teachers and coaches) and will help with voters trying to find an emotional reason to vote for a Democratic ticket.
He’s also incredibly popular with Gen Z, as my post yesterday pointed out…“I’m obsessed with Tim Walz.” Parkland’s David Hogg on Kamala’s VP Selection
Here’s a great comment from that post
Oh, and GuavaBoy has the best one-liner yet!
And here is a string of endlessly positive comments from a Fox News interview with Walz—one comment was from a former student who said he was one of her favorite teachers ever and one begging Kamala to choose him.
That, plus Biden thinks Tim Walz is a “blast”
AND Bernie Sanders just came out with an endorsement for Tim Walz.
(Update) One of the comments in this thread said we only need seven states—and that could not be further from the truth. So let me list the reasons I can think of for why we need a 50-state outreach…and DKos readers probably have a bunch more.
Finally, Walz appeals to so many different demographics, that he could improve the campaign’s “feel good” and move some votes toward Kamala.
Walz also hits 10 important demographics–and is probably the only one of the VP candidates who does: 1) The Guy Vote (remember them?), 2) The Midwestern, Blue Wall Vote, 3) Apparently, The Gen Z Vote, 4) The Military Vote, 5) The Good Dad/Coach Vote, 6) The Senior Vote, 7) The LGBTQ Vote, 8) The Islamic Vote, 9) The Native American Vote and, perhaps, most significantly, 10) The Feels Left Behind Rural and Ag Vote.
So, soon-to-be-President Harris: it looks like you might get a lift in one state (and maybe the northeast–and not in Michigan–with Josh Shapiro)—or, IMO, you could get a boost in fifty states and a bunch of Senate and House campaigns with Tim Walz.
