Joe Biden has done the honourable thing and stepped aside, and the free world has breathed a sigh of relief. With his resignation from the Presidential race, his VP, Kamala Harris has taken up the mantle, and without doubt, the Democrats’ chance of victory has skyrocketed. A second Presidential debate is scheduled for 10 September, wherein Harris will have a chance to introduce herself formally to the American people and draw a clear contrast between herself and her opponent, and the danger posed by a second Trump term.
Both Trump and Harris have now selected their choices of Vice Presidential candidates, and in a move widely unforeseen by commentators, Harris has selected Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.
Walz is not well known on the national or international stage, but in the few short days since his announcement, it is widely being tipped as a masterstroke of political strategy. Walz is a progressive leader with a strong track record on workers’ rights, healthcare, and social justice, commonly thought of as to the left of Harris, but with strong midwestern roots and hometown charm. This partnership highlights a commitment to addressing labour issues and promoting economic fairness, offering a clear contrast to the Republican ticket, and Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
Tim Walz’s experience as a two-term governor of Minnesota, a state known for its progressive tradition, has brought a new dynamic to the Democratic ticket lacking in it’s previous iteration of Biden/Harris. His leadership has focused on strengthening workers’ rights, expanding healthcare access, and advancing social justice, all staple goals of Harris’s long term vison for a post-Trump US. Walz’s background also positions him well to engage with key swing states in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, where the fate of the election, and therefore the fate of the nation, will be decided.
Walz, during his tenure as Governor of Minnesota, has made the state one of the most union-friendly and worker-friendly in the union. He has championed policies such as raising the state’s minimum wage, expanding paid family leave, and bolstering collective bargaining rights. His focus on worker’s rights has united different factions within the Democratic Party and strengthened the party’s appeal to working-class voters who may feel left behind by recent economic changes, a demographic which has previously been ripe pickings for MAGA.
Walz, with his strong support of workers and unions, appeals to both urban and rural demographics, his broad approval in Minnesota’s cities and countryside transitioning smoothly across the wider nation. He is vocal about having grown up in a small, rural Nebraskan township, demonstrating his empathy to the needs of rural communities. The ‘blue wall’ of the Midwest, where Trump has enjoyed broad support in previous elections, is quickly being rebuilt, in no small part by Walz’s candidacy for Vice President.
Walz also connects with the more cosmopolitan aspects of the Democratic voter base trough his championing of progressive policy. He has a strong record of action on fighting climate change, defending LGBTQ+ rights, and implementing affirmative action. He was Governor of Minnesota when George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, and immediately called for justice for Floyd and gave vocal support to the BLM movement, whilst also demonstrating his commitment to order by calling in the National Guard to quash the subsequent riots in Minneapolis.
He has demonstrated his ability to lead through his successful Governorship, but only maintaining a quiet presence on the national stage until now. Walz is not a frequent public speaker, but the few appearances he has made already solidify him as the obvious and strongest choice Harris could have made. He comes across as unpolished, relatable, honest, and string-willed, and appears to be everything Trump and Co. claim to be but have a hard time demonstrating.
Speaking of, the Trump party has also made their selection for Vice Presidential nominee in Ohio Senator JD Vance, a choice which solidifies the GOP’s strategy of appealing to populist, working-class voters. Vance, known for his focus on the struggles of “forgotten Americans” in the Rust Belt, complements Trump’s platform centred on nationalism, immigration control, and economic protectionism. Everything which made Trump’s first term an abject failure.
Vance has defended the lies of former President Trump at every turn since his selection. Vance, previously a never-Trumper Republican who described Donald Trump as “America’s Hitler”, has since reneged on his criticism and has indicated a belief that Trump won the 2020 election. Quite a turnaround of views, and quite a contrast to Walz. Vance gives the impression that his image is incredibly put-together, as if the Republicans made a wax-work of a Vice Presidential nominee for this election. Walz, as much effort as has gone into making his image behind the scenes, appears far more natural on the rally stage and at the side of his would-be President.
It’s an odd turn of events, that out of both of the Vice Presidential nominees, both are from the Midwest, but it’s the older, more folksy one who is the Democrat, and the younger one who wears eyeliner as the Republican. Although, given how many of the MAGA crowd present themselves, maybe not so surprising.
With both tickets for this election now complete, the contrast the American people are now faced with is stark. On one side is the Trump-Vance brand of right-wing populism, with its almost feverish anti-immigration and protectionist stance, unafraid of blatant and provable lies to con the American people out of their votes. On the other, the Harris-Walz ticket, emphasizing America’s liberal values, workers’ rights, social justice, and economic reform to build an economy which delivers for all, not just the super-rich. The outcomes of victory for both are also starkly different. On the one hand, the USA is allowed to continue it’s brave experiment of democracy with the statutes and values upon which it was founded left unscathed. The other will doubtless shake the foundations of American democracy and republicanism to its core.
stay safe
/e