Why Tim Walz Was Such A Brilliant VP Pick For Kamala Harris
Walz's joyful energy, communication skills, and ability to translate progressive policies for rural voters make him an ideal partner for Kamala Harris against Trump and Vance's angry, fake populism.
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“Thank you for bringing back the joy!” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said to Vice President Kamala Harris after she introduced him as her running mate on Tuesday evening. A crowd of 14,000 people roared in agreement at the Philadelphia rally that could only be described as a joyful banger.
Of all the Vice Presidential contenders Kamala Harris was considering, Governor Tim Walz, or as Harris calls him “Coach Walz,” most matches the optimistic, fun energy of the Harris Campaign, compounding the already deep contrasts with the Trump-Vance campaign. Not to mention, Walz’s real appeal to rural voters is the direct answer to J.D. Vance’s inauthentic populism.
The now Harris-Walz campaign rolled out pitch-perfect messaging at their first rally as running mates, striking a balance of showcasing their positive vision for America and plans to help working families with incisive contrasts and attacks on Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
When looking at Tim Walz's communication style and his midwestern background, it’s clear why Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate.
Walz is not only great at making the case against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, but he also has a unique talent to make progressive positions palatable to traditionally Republican voters. His life story tells us why.
Let’s dive into why Harris made the right choice.
Tim Walz, The Joyful Warrior
Walz is proving to be incredibly skilled at making the case against Donald Trump and MAGA extremism in a straightforward manner and with a smirk, which is what initially caught the attention of Kamala Harris and her team.
“They scream socialism, we just build roads, and we build schools, and we build prosperity… Their whole plan is to go backward and give tax cuts to the wealthy,” Walz said to MSNBC’s Jen Psaki last month.
In another viral appearance on Morning Joe a few weeks ago, Walz exposed the fake populism of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s right-wing movement in one of the most effective ways I’ve seen from a Democratic politician:
“People like J.D. Vance know nothing about small-town America… The golden rule there is mind your own damn business. Their policies are what destroyed rural America. They’ve divided us, they’re in our exam rooms, they’re telling us what books to read… And I think what Kamala Harris knows is bringing people together around the shared values: strong public schools, strong labor unions that create the middle class, healthcare that’s affordable and accessible. Those are the things…” Walz said within the first 30 seconds of his appearance, wowing the Morning Joe hosts.
Walz continued: “I think this is going back to the bread and butter, getting away from this division. We do not like what has happened when we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary…” Joe Scarborough laughed at Walz’s remarks.
Walz kept going: “Well, it’s true, these guys are just weird, they’re running for He-Man Woman Haters club or something…”
That was the “weird” that was heard around the Democratic Party. As I’ve written before, there’s a reason why Democrats calling Trump, J.D. Vance, and their far-right movement “weird” really captures what the majority of Americans feel. The right’s strange culture war obsessions, their degradation of women, their need to oppress others to feel big. It’s just authoritarian, loser, weirdo behavior. It’s the opposite of the energy Kamala Harris and Democrats are exuding right now. And Tim Walz is finally calling it out.
“We’re finally on offense about an America where we’re all together,” Walz declared on Morning Joe, in an appearance that has since changed Democratic messaging.
This talent of straightforward attacks on Trump and his movement was showcased at Tuesday’s Philly rally as well.
During the rally, Walz called out Trump for freezing up during the COVID-19 pandemic and tanking our economy, and he also made this searing jab calling out the crime surge during the Trump Administration: “Make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump. And that’s not even counting the crimes he committed.”
Walz also called out the fact J.D. Vance wrote the foreword for the upcoming book of Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, the chief architect of Project 2025. I outlined Vance’s ties to Project 2025 in a recent article in this newsletter.
Laying out the stakes of this election while maintaining a sense of joy and fun is a gift Kamala Harris and Tim Walz uniquely have. Walz fits in perfectly with Harris’s campaign of joyful, optimistic, pro-democracy competence vs. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s weird, dark, vindictive authoritarianism. Americans are tired of the negativity of the right, and the Harris-Walz campaign shows us another way forward.
The selection of Walz is throwing off the Trump Campaign, who responded with a statement that claimed Walz would unleash “hell on Earth!” Needless to say, his attacks aren’t landing.
When looking at the story of Tim Walz, it’s clear why he has become such an effective politician and communicator representing everyday Americans.
Tim Walz, The Unapologetic Midwestern Progressive
This midwestern governor has a down-to-earth communication style that connects with rural voters while also maintaining an unapologetically progressive record. When looking into why Tim Walz is so good at communicating, his background gives us insight.
Tim Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years, and even as a high school social studies teacher and football coach, Walz bravely embodied progressive values. During their rally on Tuesday night, Harris told the story of how Walz helped create a Gay-Straight Alliance for students at his school in the 90s:
“Tim wasn’t only a role model on the football field… Coach Walz was approached by a student in his social studies class. The young man was one of the first openly gay students at the school and was hoping to start a Gay-Straight Alliance. At a time when acceptance was difficult to find for LGBTQ students, Tim knew the signal that it would send to have a football coach get involved. So he signed up to be the group’s faculty advisor. And as students have said, he made the school a safe place for everybody. In the high school yearbook, the students voted Coach Walz the, quote, ‘most inspiring faculty member.’”
That anecdote alone shows the character of Tim Walz.
After being encouraged to run for office by his students, Walz ran for Congress in 2006 and won in a historically red district. What makes it even more noteworthy is that he won while publicly supporting gay marriage.
Walz developed a reputation for bipartisanship during his 12 years in Congress and went on to win re-election in 2016 while Trump won his district by 15 points - a remarkable feat for a Democrat, showcasing his appeal to red district voters.
Then, he ran for governor of Minnesota in 2018 and won. In 2022, Walz won re-election again, and Democrats took the state Senate and the rest of the legislature as well. Then, he wasted no time in unleashing a flurry of progressive policies. Minnesota became the first state to codify abortion rights into law after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Walz used a budget surplus to fund free school meals for children. Walz also signed gun safety legislation into law, legalized recreational marijuana, provided free college tuition for low-income people, implemented stronger LGBTQ protections, expanded paid family leave, and the list goes on.
When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked if Tim Walz thought his record would be an asset to the Harris ticket or if it would fuel attacks that he’s a “big government liberal,” Walz responded sarcastically.
“What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn, and women are making their own healthcare decisions, and we’re a top-five business state, and we also rank in the top three of happiness,” Walz joked.
Walz will prove useful when deployed to rural communities in must-win Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
That’s what an unapologetic progressive looks like.
A Hopeful Moment
On a personal note, I don’t think politics has made me this hopeful in my entire adult life. When my fiance and I were watching Tuesday’s Harris-Walz rally, we found ourselves cheering, clapping, and being genuinely moved.
I was 14 when Barack Obama first won in 2008, so I didn’t get to be fully part of that. I remember being really happy he won, especially as a young Black kid with an arab sounding name. But I wasn’t old enough to understand the stakes and be in the fight myself. Now I am, and I think we’re going to win.
With all of us doing our part, knocking on doors, volunteering, donating, and those of us in journalism continuing to publish the truth, we can do this.
The Harris-Walz campaign feels like it might just be the historic, joyful end of the Trump era our democracy desperately needs and the start of something truly amazing.
I wish I had had Tim Walz as one of my high school teachers.
Thank you, Ahmed, for expressing my feelings so clearly. I, too, felt such excitement and was hollering as I watched Kamala introduce Tim. They are both so very personable, you just want to hug them. Thank you for the extra pictures of Tim—obviously his constituents feel the same way about him. I can’t wait to display a Harris/Walz sign!