Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was not a top candidate for Kamala Harris’s running mate until recent weeks. But the Democratic pick underscores the power of social media.
So what made Walz, a relatively unknown candidate nationally, get nominated as a major party’s vice presidential candidate? You might find the situation “odd.”
Democrats began calling Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance “weird” a few weeks ago. The attack may have seemed immature, but it seems to have worked, generating the backlash Democrats wanted.
An analysis of Google Trends data reveals a recent spike in searches for the word “weird.” More than that, the topics associated with the word “weird” were ‘Make America Great Again,’ the Republican Party, Vance and Walz.
Why Walz?
He was credited with being the first to start calling Republicans “weird” on a large scale.
And we know that Kamala’s campaign was paying attention because it sent out at least one email that suggested that attacks on the Republican ticket were fueling the online debate.
The fact that Kamala has selected a candidate who does well online shouldn’t be surprising. Kamala also does very well on TikTok, something Joe Biden’s campaign has failed to do.
But is Walz’s choice appropriate for an extremely online campaign?
That’s a fair question, given that Kamala Harris chose Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, who was already seen as a front-runner for the vice presidential nomination, has divided much of the online left with his views on Israelis and Palestinians.
Walz shares similar views on the issue at hand, but has received less backlash than Shapiro, who is Jewish.
It certainly helped that Walz has faced virtually no online opposition from the Democratic Party. After all, Kamala’s campaign has been riding a wave of positive feedback since she became the leading Democratic candidate to run for president in the US election against Donald Trump in November.
Kamala Harris got along well with Walz and particularly liked his “laid-back” attitude, according to a report by CNN .
A good relationship with a running mate and the possibility of not dividing the party with the choice is reason enough to choose someone.
One of the first rules when it comes to a vice presidential pick is “do no harm.” Kamala probably didn’t do any harm with this pick.
Walz served 12 years in the U.S. House and is currently in his second term as governor. He cannot be attacked for having little experience, unlike Republican Vance, who has been the least-liked vice presidential candidate on record at his party’s convention.
Selection, however, is not without risks
The big question now is what Kamala Harris will face for choosing Walz over Shapiro.
Minnesota is unlikely to be a politically divided state this election. No Republican presidential candidate has won a majority in the state since 1972 — the longest streak of Democratic presidential victories (outside of Washington, D.C.). And since Harris entered the race, polls show that it will remain that way.
Pennsylvania, on the other hand, is a swing state that Kamala must win to become president. In fact, it’s probably the most important swing state this cycle, and polls show the numbers very close.
Shapiro currently has a 61% favorable rating in Pennsylvania and has outperformed Biden’s 2020 baseline by 14 points in 2022.
Whether that would have been enough to boost a Harris-Shapiro ticket in Pennsylvania is a question mark, although the political science literature suggests it would.
What can be said, though, is that Walz is unlikely to help Kamala with many undecided voters. He did less than a point better than Biden in Minnesota when he was reelected in 2022. In fact, Shapiro appears to have done better with white voters without a college degree in Pennsylvania than Walz did with the same demographic in his state two years ago.
And while Walz was a powerful electoral choice, it remains to be seen whether he can help the Democratic ticket outside his home state.
If Harris ends up losing Pennsylvania and the election by a small margin, it will be one of the great “what ifs” in history. Did she not choose Shapiro out of fear of the online left?
Kamala Harris, of course, hopes the election won’t be as close. She seems to have momentum, and Walz’s pick probably won’t do anything to stop her.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
