Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was not at the top of Kamala Harris’ potential running mates until recent weeks. But the Democratic choice highlights the power of social media.
So what caused Walz, a relatively unknown candidate nationally, to be nominated as a major party’s vice presidential candidate? You may even find the situation “strange”.
Democrats started calling Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance “weirdos” a few weeks ago. The attack may have seemed somewhat immature, but it appears to have worked, generating the negative repercussions desired by Democrats.
An analysis of Google Trends data reveals a recent increase in searches for the word “weird.” More than that, the topics associated with the word “strange” were ‘Make America Great Again’, the Republican Party, Vance and Walz.
Why Walz?
He was credited with being the first to start calling Republicans “weirdos” on a large scale.
And it is known that Kamala’s campaign was paying attention because it fired off at least one email that suggested that attacks against the Republican ticket were driving the online debate.
The fact that Kamala 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 suitable for an extremely online campaign?
That’s a fair question, given that Kamala Harris chose Walz over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, who was already seen as a front-runner for vice president, has divided much of the left online with his views on Israelis and Palestinians.
Walz holds the same views on the issue at hand, but has received less backlash than Shapiro, who is Jewish.
It certainly helped that Walz faced virtually no online opposition from the Democratic Party. After all, Kamala’s campaign has enjoyed a wave of good repercussions since she became the main Democratic candidate to run for president in the American elections against Donald Trump in November.
Kamala Harris had a good rapport with Walz and particularly liked his “carefree” attitude, according to a report from 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 choice.
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 is 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 and not Shapiro.
Minnesota is unlikely to be a politically divided state in this election. No Republican presidential candidate has won a majority in the state since 1972 – it is the longest streak of presidential victories for Democrats (outside of Washington, DC). And, since Kamala entered the race, research shows that the scenario will continue like this.
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 pretty tight.
Shapiro currently has a 61% favorable rating in Pennsylvania and has surpassed 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, though political science literature suggests so.
What can be said, however, is that Walz probably won’t help Kamala with many undecided voters. He did less than a point better than Biden in Minnesota when he was re-elected 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. years.
And even though 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. Didn’t she choose Shapiro out of fear of the online left?
Kamala Harris, of course, hopes the election isn’t too close. She seems to have momentum and Walz’s pick probably won’t do anything to stop her.
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