Tim Walz: A Center-Left Politician Who Comes From the West

The American political arena is ever-changing, but the moment a candidate for president selects a running mate often proves to be the campaign’s most pivotal instant. The choice reveals not only the electoral strategy behind the tandem but also much about the presidential candidate’s own politics and character. This was a week to examine running mates, with Harris and Walz being the most notable duo. If Kamala Harris indeed aims to fill the vacuum left by Joe Biden in the progressive wing, she can scarcely do better than by allying with Walz, who in the 2022 elections became the first Minnesota governor since the Civil War to win a second term and who, like her, represents the not-so-comfortably-warm center of the Minnesota DFL.

Success Among Voters in Rural Areas

The ticket of Walz and Harris does not simply represent two individuals; it stands as a strategic pushback against today’s political climate. Half of July’s respondents in a Gallup poll said they disapprove of Joe Biden’s job as president. That number is actually better for Biden than it was earlier this year or last year, but more concerning for the White House is this: The same poll indicated 54% of Americans believe the country is “on the wrong track.” Those are not just bad numbers for Democrats but bad vibes altogether, signaling that the party faithful, the they’d-vote-for-us-again Democrats, look like they’re living in a world that’s not on the right track.

Bio and Path to Politics

Tim Walz’s journey from being a school teacher to a seasoned politician is the very picture of the new breed of leaders who prioritize grassroots connections over traditional power politics. His service as a congressman and governor has ironically endowed him with a fresh, if somewhat controversial, perspective on issues like public safety. The former Army National Guardsman and former educator typically votes with a strong sense of both bipartisan cooperation and a commitment to the authenticity and relatability that voters seem to desire today, especially in a leader. His public service, however, has not been free of controversy. For instance, some critics have chided him for what they see as an insufficiently robust response to the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Handling the Political Barbs and Controversies

The political identity of Tim Walz lies somewhere between moderate and progressive. He isn’t too far left to raise concerns among a party that has to win in a lot of rural and swing counties, and he isn’t too far right to alienate progressives. Since he became governor of Minnesota, he has supported a lot of big, bold policies that could resonate almost anywhere in the blue part of the political spectrum—from universal free school meals to defending reproductive rights. That makes him a good running mate for Kamala Harris as the Democrats once again seek to capture a state that almost slipped from their hands the last two times around. Minnesota, of course, is not Walz’s native state. He actually grew up in Nebraska and attended college there. He claims roots in both states as well as the persona of the “everyman”—a crucial asset in a time when authenticity can win votes.

The Republican Party is pushing a narrative that portrays Democrats as being out of touch with rural America. Tim Walz’s running mate, Peggy Harris, has virtually no experience with American agriculture. For any candidate, the best résumé to have when running for office is one that contains experience relevant to the issues that voters in that particular district or state care about most. As a member of the House of Representatives, Walz brought more than a dozen bipartisan bills to the floor that directly benefited Minnesota. In addition, he served more than two decades in the National Guard. Voters in Hastings, Minnesota, could hardly ask for a candidate who has more strongly built the bridges of shared values with them. Yet at the same time, Walz must address criticisms from some corners of the electorate regarding his fidelity to local law enforcement and the reforms he’s implemented since then.

Most Americans consider the Harris-Walz ticket a shift in political dynamics that could impact their lives. The alliance that’s formed between Kamala Harris and Tim Walz offers a nearly pristine Democratic vision. They focus on some of the ingredients key to that vision: equality, opportunity, and access. They talk a lot about education and about how the federal and state governments have to make more moves toward funding opportunities that empower them even more so than the last few years have empowered them with respect to education reform (infinite Kenya-bound vouchers as a key part of the reform, e.g.). They also talk a lot about health care, how it has to be more accessible, and about how it has to be more affordable and not really at all like the Affordable Care Act.

As we move closer to the 2024 election, the ticket of Harris and Walz epitomizes the intricate nature of contemporary American politics. In an era marked by division and doubt, this pairing presents a rather hopeful scenario—one in which a more inclusive and diverse democratic conversation takes place. But will voters elect to keep this vision alive, or do they want something else, something more familiar in this still relatively novel electoral landscape? Harris and Walz offer us something better to look at, that’s for sure.