Harris’ smile was complete
U.S. elections accompanied by Walz’s team with Harris
Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her vice-presidential candidate. This Democrat, who opened the convention in Philadelphia, has posed a challenge to Trump and Vance.
Vice President and Democratic candidate in the U.S. presidential elections, Kamala Harris, selected her vice-presidential candidate. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz officially opened the Democrats’ ticket on Tuesday at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, immediately creating the impression of political synergy and a very different approach between the two compared to the more institutional approach of U.S. President Joe Biden.
Officially, Harris and Walz challenged their opponents Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. Walz is a progressive and liberal politician who supports abortion rights and the legalization of recreational marijuana.
For this reason, his rival Vance called him a left-wing radical with classic far-right rhetoric full of lies.
In turn, the vice-presidential candidate spoke about rights while Harris tried to present Walz’s career, which partly reflects American stereotypes, as a traditional American: a teacher who coaches a high school football team.
After weeks of twists and turns, the election tickets were finally finalized, and the campaign can prepare for the final leap and sprint.
Here, ‘ticket’ refers to a political group or party, and it is said about the candidates of a specific party who compete with the party’s ticket.
Who is Tim Walz?
Tim Walz, born 60 years ago in Nebraska, reflects the change that typically defines the vice-presidential profile in relation to the presidential candidate. He is a man and white and comes from a rural community in a Midwestern state.
Traditionally, the presidential ticket tries to be as representative as possible, but in this case, a candidate with contrasting characteristics was chosen with Harris, a black woman from California, a coastal state.
Walz, who is married and has two children, is engaged in teaching social sciences and coaching an American football team. Politically, he has a short but convincing record of defeating Republican candidates.
In 2006, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time by defeating Republican Gil Gutknecht and was re-elected five times.
He left the House of Representatives in 2019 when he was elected as the governor of Minnesota against Republican candidate Jeff Johnson.
His term was not easy, given the shutdowns imposed due to the COVID pandemic and the death of George Floyd, who was suffocated by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020.
On that occasion, Walz tried to address the violent protests by deploying the National Guard and engaging in dialogue with the protesters.
In 2022, he was re-elected and in his second term as governor, he removed abortion restrictions imposed by his Republican predecessors, legalized recreational cannabis use, supported transgender health rights, and improved funding for new childcare facilities.
What do the polls say?
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz began their joint election campaign using a word that was as effective in describing their Republican opponents as it was: eccentric.
Donald Trump was deeply annoyed and responded by saying that they themselves are strange and unusual people.
The communication strategy of the Democratic side, which is spreading on social media and creating taunts and memes on the internet, seems to be bearing fruit.
According to a polling site close to conservative positions, Harris will be leading in several swing states. For example, in federal states where the voting outcome is traditionally more unpredictable, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Democrats will have 48% of the vote and Trump 45% and 46%, respectively.
Even in Michigan, another battleground state, the game is completely open, and the rivals are tied at 45%.
However, according to other polls, Harris will have an 11% lead in Michigan.
Instead, this capitalist is recognized as the more popular candidate in Arizona with 48% to 43% and in Nevada, where polls show him trailing Harris by one percent. Although polls should always be approached with caution, there is a clear shift in preferences compared to a few weeks ago when Biden was still a candidate.
Regarding voter issues, they show the most interest or concern about inflation, border security, threats to American democracy, and abortion.
What is Harris and Walz’s agenda?
When they took the stage at the Philadelphia rally with Beyoncé’s song ‘Freedom,’ they immediately revealed the Democratic program approach.
Tim Walz will focus heavily on supporting rights, including abortion, which is widely attacked by the American right.
In uncertain times last March, the two visited an abortion clinic in Minnesota.
In general, Harris and Walz spoke more about bringing the country together and fighting for its future.
In Philadelphia, Trump was attacked without compromise and accused of increasing violent crimes during his tenure, and Walz, referring to the former president’s legal proceedings, said, ‘The things he has done are no secret to anyone.’
Of course, the toughest challenges facing the Democrats relate to foreign policy. Large sections of progressive voters strongly oppose the Biden administration’s support for Israel and urge America to stop funding what they call genocide in Palestine.
According to some analyses, Harris’ potential administration will adopt foreign policy in continuity with Biden but with more nuanced differences.
For the Middle East, this means reiterating support for Israel’s right to self-defense while seeking a solution that ensures lasting peace.
Compared to Biden, it seems Harris wants to emphasize Palestinian rights more, and while the White House prefers to avoid speculation about the potential consequences of the Ukraine war with the re-election of a Democrat, the vice president’s multiple trips to Asia indicate that one of her administration’s main goals will be to confront Beijing’s assertiveness and bullying in the South China Sea.
The selection of Tim Walz as a Democratic vice-presidential candidate responds to various needs.
In many ways, Walz shows that he is somewhat similar to his counterpart J.D. Vance, meaning Walz, in turn, represents a Democratic populism that finds wide expression both within the party and in many states deep within America.
A white man with a significant background in progressive policies but a reassuring ordinary image, Walz can also compensate for what is perceived as Kamala Harris’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
It seems the selection of Walz can at least partially mend the rift that Biden’s affair created in the Democratic Party.
A rift that could have widened with the selection of a more prominent name.
Finally, as an effective communicator, Walz can help compensate for what many consider the lack of charisma in the presidential candidate without necessarily overshadowing it, as other figures competing for his position risked doing.