CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has silenced the Democratic doubters.
Heading into the Democratic National Convention, there were questions swirling inside the party about the wisdom of Vice President Harris picking the Minnesota governor — a relatively unknown figure from a safely Democratic state — as her running mate.
But Walz has stormed furiously out of the gate, hitting the campaign trail to promote his modest background as a teacher, coach and long-time military veteran. And his rousing speech last week at the convention was among the highlights of the event, bringing a dose of everyman charm to the stage and electrifying an arena of delegates, most of them largely unfamiliar with his rustic roots and contagious energy.
Democratic lawmakers said the crowd-thrilling address not only helped to introduce Walz to voters around the country, but also extinguished any apprehensions about his place on the ticket.
“Those doubters were there. But … I can't count the number of times that people said something to the effect of, 'Oh my god, what a great choice. I was wrong,'” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said.
“Overwhelmingly, people who were doubters become convinced — overwhelmingly,” he continued. “I'm hearing it from colleagues; I'm especially hearing it from people back home. They've never heard of him. I had a couple of close friends [texting], and one text was: ‘Really?’ And I answered: ‘Watch.’”
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) offered a similar assessment, saying Walz’s homespun background as teacher and coach sets him apart from a typical politician, especially at the top-ticket level. Indeed, the last Democratic-ticket candidate without law-school experience was Jimmy Carter.
And his midwestern roots, Doggett added, will both appeal to rural voters and nullify a common criticism that Democrats represent only the “coastal elites.”
“[Walz is] someone who can speak to rural America where, frankly, we have failed in the past as Democrats to reach people. He just comes across … as somebody you'd like to have as your next-door neighbor,” Doggett said. He added that Walz’s centrist voting record over the course of his 12 years in the House will also help Democrats combat the GOP claims that the ticket is too liberal for most of the country.
“It was a very moderate record. And I think it's one that would be consistent with one that's needed to win this election,” he said.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said he’s getting inundated with calls from family members and constituents who are all offering the same message: “We loved him.”
“My sister's a teacher. The teachers are thrilled that a teacher will be vice president of the United States,” McGovern said. “He's as authentic and real as you can get.”
The enthusiasm for Walz wasn’t always quite so universal.
In the days following Harris’s decision to tap Walz as her running mate, a host of wary Democrats on and off of Capitol Hill voiced doubts about the choice. They noted that Minnesota is already a safely Democratic state, and wondered aloud why Harris didn’t pick a figure who might help her push a battleground state towards the Democrats.
Those voices had hoped Harris would choose another of the candidates on the veepstakes finalist list, which also featured Josh Shapiro, a popular governor of Pennsylvania, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.
“Everyone says that the road to victory goes through Pennsylvania, so why not go with the person who can ensure that victory?” Bob Brady, head of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, told local news outlet WHYY News ahead of Harris’s announcement.
Yet Walz’s supporters have rejected the idea that he won’t be a boon to the party in contested states.
“He speaks 'upper-Midwest.' So he speaks to Wisconsin and Michigan, in particular, two of the swing states we've got to win,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said. “Other than crappy sports teams, we have a lot in common with them. And he sounds like us.”
Republicans have decidedly different thoughts about the Minnesota governor. Behind Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, the GOP critics are hoping to paint a picture of Walz as an untrustworthy figure, questioning his loyalty to his National Guard unit, which deployed to Iraq shortly after his retirement from the armed services, and accusing him of fabricating his rank.
Republicans are also attacking Walz for misleading comments he’s made from the stump suggesting that he and his wife used in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures to overcome infertility. In fact, they used another form of treatment, intrauterine insemination (IUI).
“It’s just such a bizarre thing to lie about, right?” Vance told reporters last week in Milwaukee. “There’s nothing wrong with having a baby through IVF or not having a baby through IVF. Like, why lie about it? I just don’t understand that.”
Democrats have dismissed those attacks, accusing Republicans of making a petty distinction merely to smear a political rival.
"I mean, really? They are flailing at this point,” said Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the Democratic whip and a leading voice in the party in defense of women's reproductive health options.
“Why don't they come together and actually help us get IVF protections? That's what the American people are asking us to do — families who are going through these expensive, painful, emotional fertility treatments,” she continued. “Trying to make an issue over the fertility treatments — which one Tim Walz and his family went through? Give me a break."
The Democrats’ enthusiasm for Walz was fueled last week by his son’s emotional demonstration of pride during Walz’s convention speech. The images of a tearful Gus Walz, 17, saying, “That’s my dad,” were caught on camera, quickly went viral and have since endured as one of the most memorable moments of the entire convention.
“It was huge — it was beautiful, actually — especially watching the family interaction,” Kildee said. “You couldn't script that.”
Others said it was Walz’s speech itself — a short but fiery address full of midwestern colloquialisms and apple-pie charm — that stole the show. After that, they said, any fears that Walz was the wrong pick have been put to rest.
"I think all of those things have been allayed,” said former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who was in Chicago for the convention. “I think everyone now sees the wisdom of what she did in picking Walz. I mean, he's just the quintessential American coach, father, small-town guy. And he has a wonderful persona. Just someone you couldn't dislike.
“I think that's gonna go a long way."
