71 percent of Americans have never heard of Walz: Poll

A vast majority of Americans aren’t familiar with Vice President Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), according to a survey released Tuesday before Harris made the announcement.

The NPR/PBS News/Marist National poll found that nearly three-quarters, 71 percent, of respondents said they don’t know enough about Walz to have an opinion on him. Of the remaining respondents, 17 percent had a favorable opinion and 12 percent viewed him unfavorably.

Walz’s selection ended the highly anticipated Democratic veepstakes, edging out Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) for the spot.

The same survey found that fellow finalists Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) are better known, though that didn’t appear to deter Harris’s decision.

Walz emerged as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 slot as chatter over other high-profile names, in particular Shapiro and Kelly, dominated early speculation about whom the vice president would choose to join her ticket in November.

But the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird” — a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats.

The pick drew praise from both progressive and moderate Democrats.

“Vice President Harris made an excellent decision in Gov. Walz as her running mate,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) posted on social platform X. “Together, they will govern effectively, inclusively, and boldly for the American people. They won’t back down under tight odds, either – from healthcare to school lunch.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who was the first House Democrat to call for President Biden to step aside, called Walz a “solid, decent former colleague with good humor, a former teacher and veteran, who represented a Minnesota district usually represented by the GOP.”

“You can’t not get along with no-nonsense Tim,” Doggett posted on X. “As Governor, he offers a straight-talking, compassionate leader delivering the progress we need.”

Walz was a teacher before entering politics, teaching high school social studies while also coaching football. He was the defensive coordinator of a state championship-winning team in 1999.

He also served 24 years in the Army National Guard, enlisting at 17 years old and rising to the rank of sergeant major in the artillery before retiring in 2005 to run for Congress.

He served six terms in the House, representing a rural Minnesota district before making the jump to the governorship in 2018. Walz was popular among his colleagues on Capitol Hill, and he had the distinction of being the highest-ranking enlisted soldier in the history of Congress.

The recent poll also found that 46 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Harris, while 44 percent have a favorable view of former President Trump. The poll also found 34 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).

The NPR/PBS/Marist survey was conducted Aug. 1-4 among 1,613 adults and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.