Kamala Harris makes the perfect choice with Tim Walz

Choosing a running mate is the first and most important test of any presidential candidate. And Kamala Harris aced it. 

In a sense, Harris could do no wrong, because she had such an outstanding bench to choose from, including several governors. Any one of them would bring more executive or legislative experience to the table than JD Vance (R-Ohio), who never ran for office before being elected to the Senate in 2022 and has nothing to show for his time spent there. 

But, in the end, Harris made the perfect choice. Even in a field of such strong candidates, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) held the edge for several reasons. 

Geography. The Democratic Party already has a lock on both coasts (except for the Southeast). It needs to strengthen its presence and appeal in the heartland, and Tim Walz is the man to do it. While Minnesota may be safely blue, Walz can carry the Democratic message to blue collar and rural voters in the key Midwest swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio. 

Experience. Tim Walz is not just a politician. He served in the Army, before spending 24 years in the Army National Guard while working in agriculture and manufacturing and serving as a high school teacher and football coach. Elected to Congress in 2006, he spent 12 years in the House as a champion of universal health care, before being elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022. His military, private sector, teaching, legislative and executive experience dwarfs the thin resumes of Donald Trump and Vance. 

Politics. Walz is your classic, midwestern, middle-of-the-road Democrat, usually labelled “moderate to liberal.” He was widely respected in the House as a bipartisan bridge builder. But he also made no apology when Republicans recently attacked him as the most progressive governor in the country. “What a monster,” he quipped. “Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn. Women are making their own healthcare decisions. And we’re a top five business state and we also rank in the top three of happiness.”  

Likeability. Enough hate talk, enough political sourpusses. America needs a politician it can relate to and like, even if they don’t fall in love with him. Again, Tim Walz is your man. He exudes respect, friendship and fun. He’s as down-to-earth as your next-door neighbor. He’s clearly having a good time, and he wants you to have one, too. 

Message. The plain-speaking Walz won the unofficial vice presidential primary by branding Donald Trump, JD Vance and the entire MAGA movement with one word: “Weird!” The perfect word, because you don’t have to define it. Everybody knows what it means, and many of us know it fits. At last week’s “White Dudes for Harris” fundraiser, Walz also colorfully summed up what’s at stake in 2024: “How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world?… And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his ass, sent him on the road?”  

Harry Truman couldn’t have said it any better. And Kamala Harris couldn’t have picked a better running mate.

Press is host of “The Bill Press Pod.” He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”