US Sutra | Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s running mate: Will it bolster the Democratic campaign?

Why has Kamala Harris, the Democratic party’s presumptive presidential nominee, picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate? The answer is that after a careful calibration of the advantages and disadvantages of the shortlisted three — Walz, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona — Harris and her Democratic party strategists-advisors thought that the first was the best.

Walz has many things going for him. For one, besides being a two-term Governor of an important mid-western state, Walz has served on the United States House of Representatives for twelve years. This makes him not only a very experienced and senior politician, but also an insider to the House. Thus, very comfortable with House Democrats. We might remember that Harris herself has been a Senator. House Representatives bring a different kind of politics of populism and dealmaking with them.

Quickly denounced as “far-Left” by challenger Donald Trump and his running mate J D Vance, Walz is actually seen by many as a centre-of-the road Democratic when he needs to be. A good contrast to Harris who is not only a California Progressive Democrat through and through, but also seen as pretty much to the Left of the political spectrum.

Walz balances the ticket by being a white male, who can be expected to hit back hard and be protective, if not chivalrous — which would be politically very incorrect an expression — in defending Harris, a dignified lady (once again, not “damsel in distress”) under attack, from the allegedly vicious, disrespectful, and misogynistic Trump. Walz is expected to counter-balance Vance’s appeal among blue collar “Rust Belt” working class Americans. To put it bluntly, while Harris captures Black, Hispanic, and female voters, Walz is expected to mop up the White working class, and undecided ones.

But, ultimately, what the Harris campaign would be counting on is Walz’s ability to secure support in crucial swing states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan. If Pennsylvania is so crucial, why not go with Governor Josh Shapiro? For one, he is Jewish and has openly supported Israel in the past. He risks alienating Harris’s support among Muslim and pro-Palestinian voters, some of whom have been very active across the country in campus and other protests. The Democratic party must tread very carefully on that razor’s edge.

What Walz also brings to the ticket is that he is a veteran — like Vance. No one can accuse a Vet of being unpatriotic, something with Harris, with her dubious record as the “immigration Czar” might have been susceptible to. In addition, he is a former teacher. His no-nonsense Midwestern talking style will also be a nice divergence from Harris’ prevaricatious, roundabout manner.

As a key Biden supporter, Democratic Representative from South Carolina, Jim Clyburn, was quoted as saying, “We do one-minute speeches in the House. So we know how to get to the point right away. If you noticed, Walz is very good at getting to the point right away.” Not to mention, Walz’s much more sober demeanor compared to the by-now notorious Harris laugh, which some have uncharitably called “Kamala’s cackle.” It was also Walz who, speaking on behalf of solid, middle America, dubbed both Trump and Vance as “weird,” an epithet that seems to have stuck like a burr, so hard has it been to shake off.

On the flip side, as Vivek Ramaswamy observed in a TV interview, the Republicans can be relieved. Why? Because Walz’s record on crucial issues like immigration and law-and-order is vulnerable. He is the one who has been held responsible for “Minnesota burning,” the riots that erupted in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Called out for being a “dangerously liberal extremist,” Walz shares a comfortable ideological comradery with Harris precisely because he is supposedly as “progressive” as she is. This means that when it comes to issues and facts, the Trump-Vance team is on a solid wicket.

Which brings us to the main issue on the other side. Trump is, no doubt, disappointed that he now has to take on Harris, who is not only a woman of colour, but somewhat of an unknown. When compared to “stumbling” Joe Biden, who seemed like an easy target. Trump has already made the mistake of attacking Harris on race and identity issues, which has not gone down well with the American public, especially women.

Will Trump be able to change his campaign style mid-course? Will he opt for a softer, more gentlemanly approach, while sticking to, even sharpening, his ideological attacks on Harris? Will he be able to stop sidestepping the non-essential issues and stop calling Harris “dumb as a rock,” for instance? As if that matters? Remember George W. Bush and all his gaffes? Or even Ronald Regan, who wasn’t all that sharp, but became a very successful two-time President? Voters in the US don’t care for very high IQs — what they want is strong leadership which can keep American number one. All team Trump has to do is to ask if Harris can deliver on that.

In other words, if Trump can stick to his core MAGA agenda, he might go on to win this one. Else, the battle is uphill, given how profound and powerful the Democratic machine is, with its massive funding and patronage networks across influential states/sections of voters, and crazy-smart narrative building. For now, though, it’s game on in the US presidential race.

The writer is an author and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.