Could Tim Walz be the one to win over Donald Trump voters?

In brief…

• Kamala Harris declared Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running on Tuesday, which means he will be the vice president if Harris wins the election
• Walz is a pro-gun, fishing-hat wearing Middle American, but believes in left-wing progressive policies like abortion rights and free school meals.
• This is why he is a smart running mate pick who can snatch up blue-collar voters from Donald Trump, say the News Agents.

After weeks of speculation, we now know that Tim Walz will be the Democratic vice president should Kamala Harris win the election in November.

Crowds in Philadelphia roared in celebration as Harris officially unveiled the news hours after it broke online on Tuesday.

The 60-year-old former teacher and army man has already received a flurry of celebrity endorsements, from Jamie Lee Curtis to Julianne Moore.

But why did Harris pick Walz as her running mate? And what do we know about the midwestern governor?

Who is Tim Walz?

Tim Walz hasn’t always been in politics. In fact, he has had a varied career, with a stint in the army before becoming a school teacher and football coach in Nebraska.

According to Emily Maitlis, this is useful for Kamala Harris.

She says: “Tim Walz seems like a canny choice, possibly also a chemistry choice.

“On paper, you can see why he makes sense, a veteran, a teacher, a coach.”

Walz ran for office in a rural, Republican-leaning district of Minnesota in 2006, getting elected as a Congressman in a surprise win.

Walz was reelected to Congress another four times and in 2019 he was sworn in as the 41st Governor of Minnesota.

“He's someone who's kind of reached 60 and probably doesn't need to put his own ambitions first [and] is quite happy to be whatever she needs him to be right now”, Emily adds.

It is in his role as a political orator where Emily says Harris’ pick starts to “make sense”.

Not only that, but Walz “ looks and sounds like the kind of Trump voter she [Harris] is trying to win over.”

Walz describes Trump voters as “his neighbours or as his family members”.

These are “people he might disagree with, but wants to understand”, Emily adds.

“It's genial, it's jovial, it's not confrontational. It's a way of saying, these are the people I live with, live amongst, govern, and they may disagree, but I'd like to show them my way of thinking,” she says.

According to Jon Sopel, it is Walz’s “lack of ego” to be the “top dog, to be the president”, that makes him a good pick.

He says: “I think that was very appealing to Kamala Harris, so that she wasn't already looking over her shoulder and thinking, ‘hang on, you already after my job?”

What does Walz stand for?

Walz may be a Democrat, but he has previously been seen as a moderate who shares some common ground with Republicans.

For instance, Walz is a proud gun owner and has endorsed the National Rifle Association, with his campaign receiving donations from the pro-gun organisation.

Jon says that this aspect of Walz, that he goes out shooting in his spare time, which “allies himself much better to Middle America, to working class, blue collar America.”

Emily says that Harris has got herself a running mate who signals that “it's okay to be a gun owner, It's okay to be the guy that might attend a Trump rally.”

“Here's a guy that you can relate to who wears a hunting hat because he actually goes hunting. He owns a gun. Now, will you listen?”, she adds.

On the other side of the coin, Walz has signalled his support for some more progressive, left-wing policies.

He has voted in favour of the Affordable Care Act - a measure making healthcare insurance more widely affordable- and has co-sponsored pro-labour measures including a bill to increase the minimum wage.

Walz is also in favour of abortion rights, has advocated for the legalisation of cannabis and is a long-time supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.

Emily notes: “His policies, as a former union member, I think are unashamedly progressive.

“He talks about free school meals, increasing minimum wages, increasing teacher salaries, family tax credits.

“He's also been very outspoken on abortion rights, but I think the language that he uses is very carefully chosen.”

But this still may not stop him from appealing to voters who may not necessarily see themselves as left wing.

Emily says: “He's also managed to find a language which appeals to people who might just hate all politicians and want to hear somebody just say, ’you know, get the state out of my life. It's none of your goddamn business.

“If you turn that into a policy on abortion, it means stop interfering in women's reproductive rights.”

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents now.