Minnesota's down-to-earth governor becomes Harris's surprise VP pick
Tim Walz‚ a former teacher and National Guard member becomes Kamala Harrisʼs running mate. His plain-spoken style and appeal to both working-class and progressive voters made him stand out from other candidates
In a non-standard move this Nov-4‚ Kamala Harris picked Minnesotaʼs governor as her vice-presidential running mate. Tim Walz‚ a 60-year old ex-teacher grabbed attention when he called Donald Trump “weird“ instead of using fancy political terms
The statement caught fire quick: people at Harrisʼs Philadelphia meet-up started chanting “hes a weirdo“ when JD Vance was mentioned (Trumpʼs own VP choice). Walz – who taught social studies and coached football in small-town Mankato – brings a down-to-earth touch to the campaign
His pick over front-runner Josh Shapiro shows how much the Israel-Palestine issue matters now. While supporting Israel after Oct-7 attack‚ Walz took a middle-ground approach: “The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas; and Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people“
Because were good Minnesota Lutherans we have a rule: If you do something good and talk about it it no longer counts
The ex-National Guard member (who served 20+ years) has some solid wins as governor – like free school meals and better worker leave. His appeal stretches across different groups:
- Won multiple times in a Republican district
- Got backing from progressives like Bernie Sanders
- Made Minnesota an LGBTQ-friendly state
- Kept support from working-class voters
His Midwest roots might help with nearby swing states Wisconsin and Michigan‚ even though Minnesota hasnt gone Republican since the 70s
