Walz has a record of appealing to white, rural voters in America's heartland, having won elections in a Republican-leaning congressional district before becoming governor. Part of Harris' strategy in picking Walz is centered on energizing disgruntled, disaffected voters – especially in non-urban areas - who might otherwise have sat this election out.
The Democratic duo spent the week introducing Walz to voters in critical battleground states, including Wisconsin and Michigan as a test of his Midwest credentials, and making their case against Trump and his vice presidential pick, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
At their first joint rally – the biggest Harris event to date, with an audience of more than 14,000 people – Walz thanked her for "bringing back the joy" to the presidential race. Then the pair tore into Trump and his MAGA Republicans for threatening women's reproductive rights and other personal freedoms, with Walz invoking what he called a golden rule: "Mind your own damn business."
Republicans, meanwhile, are attacking Harris and Walz for "dangerously liberal" policies they say threaten America's economy. Vance spent the week holding campaign events near the Democrats' rallies, with Trump largely off the trail and his campaign recalibrating its strategy as it struggles to blunt Harris' surge in momentum.
Vance tried out some attack lines on his Democratic counterpart, criticizing Walz's handling of the protests in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd there by police in 2020. Vance, who served in the Marine Corps and worked in public affairs during a six-month stint in Iraq, also slammed Walz's military record, saying he abandoned his National Guard battalion right before its deployment to Iraq in 2005. Walz, who served in the Guard for 24 years, says he retired to run for Congress.
It's too early to tell what impact Walz will have on the Democratic campaign, but Harris' ascension to the top of the ticket has clearly upended the race.
An analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling shows Harris winning over more Black voters than President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race last month. The same poll, however, points to the ongoing challenge Democrats face: Trump is seeing increased support from white voters, who make up the biggest racial bloc with 72% of all voters.
Stay tuned for a wild three months until the Nov. 5 election. Walz is probably right when he said at a rally this week that none of us will be getting much sleep.
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