By Emma Shortis
On Tuesday morning US time, US Vice President Kamala Harris called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to ask him to be her running mate in her campaign for the presidency.
After telling Harris he “would be honoured”, the first thing Walz observed was “the joy that you’re bringing back to the country, the enthusiasm that’s out there”.
Harris’ choice of Walz confirms and leans into this extraordinary vibe shift in American politics. In only a fortnight, the campaign has been flipped on its head.
The choice of vice-presidential running mate is often understood as relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of a presidential administration. The focus is often almost exclusively on what a vice-presidential candidate can bring to the election: which state they might help the campaign to carry.
Harris’ choice of Walz over the other major contender, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, suggests her thinking is much broader than this.
Shapiro was, in effect, the establishment candidate. He was widely considered the “safe” pick – someone who would appeal to the centre of American politics, is popular with Republicans and would bring with him the critical swing state of Pennsylvania. The grey eminence of the Democratic Party, former President Barack Obama, was behind him.
The fact that Harris did not pick Shapiro tells us a great deal about both how this campaign will be run, and the future of the Democratic Party more broadly.
Walz’ elevation is indicative of a major shift in the party – one that Harris is leading.
Instead of continuing a long-standing trend of distancing itself from its own base, particularly on the left, the Harris campaign appears to be paying a great deal of attention to it. In her apparent rejection of the establishment’s favoured candidate, she also appears to be embodying that generational power shift that Biden promised but never delivered.
Walz has widely been framed as the progressive choice. Unlike Shapiro, he has been consistent in his support for protesters who stand against the United States’ role in supporting Israel – particularly students.
Last week, a large group of progressive Democrats wrote to Harris, urging her not to pick Shapiro because his position on Israel and protests would shatter the unity that had unexpectedly come over the Democrats since President Joe Biden stood aside. Harris, distinguishing herself from the president, appears to be listening.
Taken together, all of this suggests Harris’ electoral strategy might be quite different from an established pattern. Rather than focusing mostly on appealing to a small group of (often mythical) swing voters, she is focused on uniting and mobilising the Democratic base.
This is an entirely valid electoral strategy that recognises further alienating Democratic voters in critical swing states like Michigan – where much of Biden’s immediate troubles began – might not be the most effective.
And Walz, with his dad-joke energy, still has that “white dude” appeal that most analysts believe Harris will need to keep the “blue wall” standing by winning states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Harris’ opponents – both of them white dudes – have not responded to these dramatic changes with particular effectiveness. Harris’ broad appeal seems to have taken them almost entirely by surprise.
Harris is focused, as Walz himself observed, on joy and enthusiasm, while her opponents seem to be busy being weird.
While it’s easy to see this vibe as shallow and limited to internet culture, it also, like the choice of Walz, tells us a lot about the substance of this campaign.
Like his presidential running mate, Walz has a strong record on abortion rights. In Minnesota, he led the codification of state-based abortion rights after the federal Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Walz and Harris’ effective characterisation of their opponents as being “weird” about women and gender taps into this critical, mobilising issue in a unique way, demonstrating how this campaign is about substance just as much as it is about vibes.
More broadly, Harris and Walz are looking to the future in a way that the Democrats were simply unable to do under Biden. The Democrats are now able to offer a radically different vision of the future of the United States than that of both their opponents and their predecessors.
The fundamentals of the American electoral map remain the same. But the calculations have now changed dramatically.
Unburdened by what has been, Harris and Walz are free to lean in to the weird joy of a dramatically changed election campaign.
Emma Shortis is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia.
The Conversation arose out of deep-seated concerns for the fading quality of our public discourse and recognition of the vital role that academic experts could play in the public arena. Information has always been essential to democracy. It’s a societal good, like clean water. But many now find it difficult to put their trust in the media and experts who have spent years researching a topic. Instead, they listen to those who have the loudest voices. Those uninformed views are amplified by social media networks that reward those who spark outrage instead of insight or thoughtful discussion. The Conversation seeks to be part of the solution to this problem, to raise up the voices of true experts and to make their knowledge available to everyone. The Conversation publishes nightly at 9 p.m. on FlaglerLive.
JimboXYZ says
The DNC told Harris who was her VPOTUS. It’s easy optics to pass on a guy named Shapiro in light that the Gaza War is Israeli Jewish vs Palestinian & escalating under the crumbling regime of Biden-Harris. Walz is easily a safer bet as the loaf of white bread candidacy of extreme Leftism/Liberalism that brings white votes. Could backfire if Walz isn’t perceived like Biden for white votes ? How much input/impact did the fact that Michigan that neighbors Minnesota is highly Muslim & represented by Rashida Tlaib. That’s all Harris would need is for Tlaib to have a reason to go off for her vocal impact on picking Shapiro over anyone. Is it any wonder the Stock Market lost ground again in a selloff ? The reality of 2024, is the Democrats have to go. Doesn’t matter what end runs & stunts they pull, the underlying misery of their failed leadership & sham of Biden-Harris is hat they’re going to be held accountable & responsible for by voters. Anyone still actually believe Biden-Harris is a legitimate Administration. I get half a dozen emails by Harris-Walz everyday begging for a donation foq a donation & vote they are never getting. They need to make do with the inflation profits they have been stealing from every American over the last 3.5+ years. Trump-Vance doesn’t need to ask me for a single penny of a campaign contribution to get my vote. 4 years of our lives that we are never getting back, never recovering from. Those that voted for Biden-Harris deserve that, the rest of us knew Biden-Harris was smoke & mirrors, we don’t deserve the last 4 years of DNC election tampering & interference.
Al says
Just let Harris talk, that’s all you need to show what a dingbat she is. This can’t be that because that is that and this is this. Just like a 60’s space cadet would talk when hi on whatever.
Another socialist that will promise you anything to get a vote.
Deirdre says
Love this guy! It’s so refreshing that a team of intelligent, highly qualified people can be running the show in a few months. This guy keeps it real, she made a great choice.
I too would have gone with Shapiro, because although I didn’t like his stand on Gaza in particular, I would have picked anyone to beat Trump, since it would be a disaster if he won.
It made sense to pursue the 19 electoral votes from Pennsylvania, but this outcome will be much better overall since it will influence people in every state, especially young people who will have better choices for their own future now. They deserve better than two old guys with dementia that will send them to fight WWIII.
More kids will get out and vote if they know their vote makes a difference, and that hasn’t been true for a long time. Thank God Biden dropped out or we would all be doomed! Student loan forgiveness, the environment, the opportunity to make their own choices with their own bodies etc is far more important for them than who plays a better game of golf.
When will we end this ridiculous electoral system? The person that gets the most votes overall from the entire country should win any election. It should not involve needing massive amounts of money to win, gerrymandering should be outlawed, and lobbyists/big PAC money should not be influencing any elections. We need to revise the whole system, and get competent politicians in Washington, not sell outs to the highest bidder who win by cheating.
Win or lose, Trump will still say he won and get right wing extremists to threaten people and try to overthrow the government if he doesn’t get his way. I can’t take much more of the hateful, spiteful, ignorant, juvenile, criminal, narrow minded propaganda of the Trump campaign. These are not normal republicans, they are extremists, and their influence in our society is tragic, we shouldn’t be so divided as a nation. How do this many people support this guy? Look at what he does and listen to what he says, he’s a dangerous psychopath, and will destroy our democracy.
I have more hope for the future now than I have in a long time. Maybe it won’t be too late to stop a major war in the Middle East, and to end the heartless genocide in Gaza.
Sherry says
How wonderful that come November we’ll all be doing the Harris Walz! Laughing and Joy will no longer be ridiculed.
We’ll have leaders who are focused on uplifting the middle class, instead of more tax breaks for their “Billionaire” friends. Focused on protecting our “Rights and Freedoms. . . our freedom of “Privacy” and the right to control our own bodies. Our rights to vote without “fake electors” and “insurrectionists” trying to take away the value of that vote. Get the government out of our bedrooms and out of our doctor’s offices! GO Harris and Walz!
Laurel says
“After graduating from Middleton High School, Vance joined the U.S. Marines Corps, where he served from 2003 to 2007 as a combat correspondent in a non-combative role, including a six month deployment working in the Public Affairs Department in Iraq.”
– Wikipedia
J.D. Vance has the gall to stand up in front of the public and condemn Tim Walz for his 24 years of service in the National Guard, lying about why Walz retired. Since when do members of the U.S. Military condemn each other?
Commander Bonespurs Trump publicly denigrated John McCain, a man from a military family, who was considered a war hero for 50 years, and served our country until he died. Trump has called veterans “suckers” and “losers.”
If your Republican candidates are so wonderful, why must they lie, and lie repeatedly?
Don’t answer if you must change the subject.
Jackson says
TRUMPS 2025 PLAN:
The plan where a president can replace all career FBI agents and other justice department personnel with political appointees is chilling. It’s tantamount to requiring a loyalty oath, and the last guy who did that was the leader of mid-20th century Germany (yes, HIM). People in the DOJ loyal to the constitution over Trump is the only thing that kept him from remaining in the white house last time. Last time Hit ler demanded, loyalty from all in the party.
The concentration of power Project 2025 seeks for the president is terrifying. The Heritage Foundation, which publishes a Republican policy mandate every four years, is very influential and much of this mandate is put into practice when the Republican candidate wins. So, Project 2025 isn’t some extremist wish list. It is detailed policy and includes ways to implement it.
It consolidates too much power in the executive branch while erasing employment protections for people like scientists and engineers. Government positions that shouldn’t be political.
It also calls to outlaw abortion, IVF, euthanasia, PBS, NPR and eliminate the Department of Education.
It is chilling.
If we elect Trump again I expect it will be the death of democracy in the USA. Sounds like something that couldn’t happen here, but they thought that about their democracy in Germany too.
America can do better!🎈
Jackson says
It’s over TRUMP, retire in prison and go ungracefully away….