96
picking Kelly was not necessary for victory to be achieved.. If the Democrats were to win in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Arizona could be lost. With no viable candidate left in those states, there was someone from the area who spoke their language – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Kelly was expendable. The Rust Belt won out over the Sun Belt.
And Walz brought positives. He was extremely popular. He was a teacher and football coach. He was a enlisted member of the military, who
served 24 years in the National Guard, reaching the level of command sergeant major. He served five terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, being recognized as the seventh most bipartisan member of the governing body, and is now a two-term governor of Minnesota.
Walz grew up on a farm in Nebraska. He is a hunter, often spotted wearing a camouflage cap, who also supports gun control. He is married, supports the right of a woman to choose, and openly admits that it is because of IVF and similar fertility treatments, that he has a family of four. And he is strong supporter of the LBGTQ+ community (when a member of his high school football team came to him asking for advice on starting a gay-straight alliance, Walz not only approved but volunteered to serve as the faculty advisor).
Walz is, in short, a 'popular populist.' Viewed by all as a nice guy born with midwestern values, who possesses a quick wit and straight forward talk. He was, ater all, the person who first labeled the Republicans – mainly, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance – as just "weird." It is a phrase that resonated with Democrats, and is now a signature refrain across events -- something the bean counters have noticed and validated with online searches for the phrase going through the roof. Walz is thus considered by many to be the kind of person who can reach through to many of the democratic voters lost to Trump over the past couple of elections. For this reason, he has gained the support across the party, from progressives like
AOC and Bernie Sanders to Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. And unions love him.
The question is: can it hold? Will the enthusiasm continue? Can the strategy work?
There are naturally concerns. There appears to be some hesitancy from Jewish supporters, as they feel slighted; and, some have questioned whether there is an element of anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party that needs to be addressed (something the party should seriously investigate, given the damage done to the Labour Party in Britain over the years for tolerating such).
There are also worries that Walz's quick wit and tongue, while great within the debate stage or for producing a headline, may get him into trouble. One thinks of former Vermont governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean, and the infamous rant that undid him. And in thinking of visuals, one can't help but think of Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate and how well that turned out for Democrats.
There is also the question of how younger voters will respond to seeing an older white man instead of a younger candidate who might solidify that vote. Shapiro and Kelly certainly didn't resonate with such voters; but, being a teacher, Walz just might.
These are all things that will continue to play over the coming weeks and months. But the Democrats have clearly decided to bank on the Walz's appeal to the Midwest and Great Lakes, hoping to bring Pennsylvania and Arizona along. If it works, the Democrats win in November.
Most certainly, the decision has the Republican Party struggling to counter this more moderate, more likeable guy who provides midwestern balance and counter to opposition claims of a West Coast coup. But, as always, the question remains: will it be enough?