Consider This from NPR - Can Tim Walz secure Midwestern swing states?

Episode Date: August 6, 2024

Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota governor Tim Walz to be her running mate. Democrats hope he can secure Midwestern swing states.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Since President Biden ended his reelection bid, the presidential campaign has been in overdrive, including the veep stakes, a process that usually takes months was shrunk down to just two weeks as Kamala Harris assessed possible running mates. governor of Minnesota. The breakthrough moment for Tim Walz may have come from a single word. Here's what he said on MSNBC's Morning Joe on July 23rd, just a couple days after Biden dropped out. Well, it's true. These guys are just weird. Weird. Suddenly, the word was all over the campaign, and people started paying closer attention to the Minnesota governor. Even former President Donald Trump felt compelled to respond on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton radio show. Nobody's ever called me weird. I'm a lot of things, but weird I'm not. And I'm up front. And he's not either, I will tell you. J.D. is not at all. They are. In an interview with Ezra Klein of the New York Times last week,

Walls reflected on why the word stuck. The minute that spell came down, the minute everybody in the crowd realized the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes, we can sweep in and say, who's asking to ban birth control? Who's asking to ban these books? Who's asking to take veterans benefits away? The headline on that piece was, is Tim Walls the Midwestern dad Democrats need? And in the end, Kamala Harris decided, yes, he is. Some people say, well, I haven't heard of him.

Well, maybe that's because he's just been doing his job for all these years. That's Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Walz's home state of Minnesota, speaking to NPR shortly after Harris's announcement Tuesday morning. Maybe because he came from a humble background. I didn't think he, when he was growing up, he wanted to be in politics. He was a high school geography teacher. And I just think that kind of different background right now

and the genuine Tim Walz who speaks without notes, who's as blunt as can be, but also as positive as can be, is exactly what the country needs right now. Consider this. Harris has chosen her running mate. What will Tim Walz bring to the ticket? From NPR, I'm Ari Shapiro. It's Consider This from NPR.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris says the 60-year-old Walz has, quote, delivered for working families. His supporters say the former teacher and National Guard veteran could help Harris win Midwestern voters in key swing states. But Walz also comes with some baggage from his time as governor. Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson reports. Lately, Tim Walls has been hearkening back to his rural roots as he introduces himself to voters around the country. My town had 400 people in it, 24 kids in my graduating class, 12 were cousins. It's a line that Minnesotans have heard several times as Walz hit the campaign trail first in southern Minnesota,

in his bid for Congress, then around the state in his two successful bids for governor, and now as he stumps for Vice President Harris. Walz is fond of one-liners and dad jokes that he uses to poke at political rivals. He recycles them, including one he's coined recently to brand former President Donald Trump, and his policy priorities is weird. I gotta tell you, Jake, my observation on this is, have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me that an adult can go through six and a half years of being in the public eye. If he has laughed, it's at someone, not with someone. Walls is also not afraid of a less polished look.

He often sports and prefers a plain t-shirt and a ball cap. He talks fast, which makes him trip over words, or leads to confusing run-on sentences that he and staff sometimes have to clean up. When you're serving in the moment on these things, I think on anything you go back and look, decisions were made in a situation that is what it is. Walls was born and raised in rural Nebraska. At 17, he enlisted in the Army National Guard. He went on to become a public school teacher and met his wife in the classroom. The pair moved to Minnesota. Years later, Walls ran for Congress in a year when Democrats were recruiting candidates with military credentials.

After a race that focused on the Iraq War and the economy, Walz upset a longtime Republican congressman by a slim margin. Walz told supporters that he'd strive to bridge political gaps in Washington. We have an opportunity now to lead this country in the direction it needs to go, leaving behind the divisive partisan politics. Walls had been representing Minnesota's first congressional district for six terms when he set off on a bid for governor under a one-Minnesota mantra. He won. In his first term, Walls faced divided government. He worked with lawmakers in 2019 to pass a budget with wins for both sides of the aisle, boosted spending for schools, and a tax cut. Former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican,

says he had a good working relationship with the governor. We found compromises that worked well for the state of Minnesota. But that relationship soured during COVID-19. Aiming to curb the spread of the virus, Walls ordered schools be emptied. Later, he required restaurants and houses of worship shut their doors and Minnesotans stay home. Some grew frustrated about the limitations on their lives and Walls' authority. Gazelka and Republicans in the legislature would eventually push to lift the Walls' emergency orders. In May of 2020, Minnesota faced another moment of crisis, the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Frustration ignited protests and riots around the city. Walls called in thousands of National

Guard soldiers and state troopers, but not quickly enough to prevent the burning of a police precinct and looting of several businesses. We cannot have the looting and the recklessness that went on. We cannot have it because we can't function as a society. Walls in Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Fry publicly disagreed over who should have taken charge. The Republican Gazelka says the governor acted too late. I felt like he froze and delayed getting the National Guard out three days beyond what Mayor Fry had requested. And that's just unacceptable. The timing of the National Guard call-up is part

of the presidential race already. During a recent rally in Minnesota, Donald Trump took credit for sending in the National Guard. Despite the trying moments, Walls cruised to re-election after campaigning on a promise to protect access to abortion services Minnesota after the rollback of Roe v. Wade. And by the narrowest of margins, voters handed Democrats full control of the state legislature. Democrats checked off every item on their wish list. Free school meals, legal protections for abortion and those seeking gender-affirming care, new gun restrictions, and paid family and medical leave benefits for workers. Here's Walls. There's going to be some, and we heard them talk about it during this session, that asked what's in it for me.

This group said what's in it for Minnesota, and everybody's going to take something a little different from this. Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota, thinks the governor's track record will appeal beyond Minnesota. Everything that he's done to improve working lives for working families, protecting collective bargaining, he has a great track record that I think would resonate across this country. The policy wins helped launch the governor's national profile, and they are key for Walz's appeal among Democrats. But they're also fueling blowback

from Republicans. Within hours of the announcement, the Trump campaign labeled Walz a, quote, dangerously liberal extremist. In recent weeks, Walz has had a front row seat to the unfolding drama around the presidential ticket, from Joe Biden's decision to leave the race to Harris's assent. And now, Walz has a spot running by her side for a three-month sprint to Election Day. For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in St. Paul. This episode was produced by Katherine Fink and Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Courtney Dorning, Acacia Squires, Ryland Barton, and Ben Swayze. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

And one more thing before we go. You can now enjoy the Consider This newsletter. We still help you break down a major story of the day, but you'll also get to know our producers and hosts and some moments of joy from the All Things Considered team. You can sign up at npr.org slash consider this newsletter. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro.