(C) Common Dreams
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Opinion | Why Tim Walz Will Be a Potent Weapon for Kamala Harris [1]
['Ross Barkan']
Date: 2024-08-06
Kamala Harris’s selection of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate was, like most events of this turbulent political season, mostly unforeseeable just a few weeks ago.
Instead of bolstering her ticket with a Democrat from a crucial swing state — or even one that routinely elected Republicans up and down the ballot — seemingly at the 11th hour, Ms. Harris opted for Mr. Walz, a 60-year-old former congressman. Mr. Walz is a white Midwestern governor from a largely agrarian state. His selection holds the potential of winning back some rural regions and even states that are now staunchly Republican. This could make for a winning strategy in the Electoral College, which is now daunting for Democrats.
Mr. Walz will be a potent weapon Ms. Harris can readily deploy on her behalf. But he carries downsides that shouldn’t be overlooked, beginning with geography and extending to his time as governor during a period of immense upheaval for Minnesota and the country.
Mr. Walz’s strengths are clear: He spent over a decade as a public school teacher and football coach and served in the Army National Guard; in 2006, he flipped a Republican-held House district in rural Minnesota and beat back G.O.P. opposition in several trying election cycles. He’s relatively progressive and a gun owner.
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/opinion/tim-walz-kamala-harris.html
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