The Washington Post editorial board had a mostly glowing assessment of Vice President Kamala Harris' newly-selected running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — and yet, they warned, there is a vulnerability the campaign needs to get ahead of.
"Mr. Walz is a former teacher who comes off as an upper-Midwestern everyman on television," wrote the board, noting that Harris' selection "could be a play to widen her party’s polished coastal image — or an attempt to placate her party’s left wing. Most likely, it was both."
On one hand, the board wrote, Walz has a "history of winning over voters who don’t typically support Democrats," amassing a solidly moderate record as a member of Congress — but his potential risk lies in how the GOP could define him based on his record as governor.
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"Here is where caution is warranted for a national campaign — and for broader fiscal awareness," they wrote. "In his second term, after the Democrats flipped the Minnesota Senate, Mr. Walz governed with the zeal of a convert. He can boast some significant accomplishments. But the nation is in a tight fiscal place. Mr. Walz increased the state budget by 40 percent and spent most of a $17.5 billion state surplus. He signed off on a new child tax credit, free school breakfast and lunch for K-12 students and billions of dollars on affordable housing and infrastructure. He signed a law to mandate utilities go carbon-free by 2040. On social issues, he signed bills that codified abortion rights, restored voting rights for convicted felons, legalized recreational marijuana and allowed undocumented immigrants to get drivers’ licenses."
Despite being an "unapologetic liberal" who is enthusiastic for a fight, he also "remains friendly with, and personally liked by, Republican lawmakers he served alongside as governor," the board noted — and the campaign will need to lean into that to get moderate voters on board.
"Ms. Harris needs to invest in building the broad coalition required to win a national election," the board concluded. "With Mr. Walz on the ticket, she should feel freer to reach to the center, rather than keeping a wary eye trained on her left."
