Perhaps looking to counter the "San Francisco liberal" label that Republicans insist on giving her, VP Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate in the 2024 election, according to multiple sources.
As of 9 am Eastern Time, around the time the news began being reported, CNN reported that Harris had not yet called Walz to formally offer him the job. The Hill further reported that the decision still had not been made as of Monday night. But Harris spent the last two days interviewing several candidates and finalizing her choice, and the selection of Walz sppears to be an acknowledgement of a need for a moderate influence on the campaign, and a rejection of the idea that a running mate from a swing state was needed — with Minnesota pretty deeply blue.
As the Chronicle notes, some recent studies have shown that running mates do little to win votes in their home states. And the plainspoken Walz could potentially bring in support from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which are all key swing states.
CNN also points to Walz's ascension in the Democratic party as "a progressive populist folk hero," and "the exact kind of pugilistic voice that Democrats taking on Trump are keen to highlight."
Walz is credited with coming up with the sticky phrase that "Republicans are weird," something that Harris was quick to echo as she headed out on the campaign trail in the last two weeks.
While much of the talk about Harris's VP choices have focused on Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, both came with notable baggage for some Democratic voters — Kelly has been vocally anti-union, and Shapiro has been staunchly pro-Israel in his comments about the war in Gaza.
Walz, meanwhile, is a Democrat who for 12 years represented a conservative-leaning district in Congress, and The Hill notes that Republicans have appeared eager to try to flip Minnesota red — despite no Republican presidential candidate having won there in about 50 years.
In terms of pugilistic rhetoric, Walz may fulfill the role of attack dog, being able to say things about Trump that Harris can't without alienating some voters.
"How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world? How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come?” Walz asked during the recent "White Dudes for Harris" virtual fundraiser. “And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his ass, sent him on the road?”
Walz also had some kind words for San Francisco itself in a recent radio interview. He described being here for the first time recently, taking a run through the Presidio, going downtown for meetings, and concluding, "That is the most beautiful city I've ever been in... America is so awesome, San Francisco is just the greatest."
And while Harris is hardly known in San Francisco for being a progressive, or even very liberal in her politics, her hailing from San Francisco is a potential weak spot that Republicans think they can exploit in this election — with "San Francisco" having been an easy shorthand for the extremes of the Left for decades.
We'll see about that.
This story will be updated after the formal announcement is made.
Photo via Wikimedia