Harris Picks Team Walz as Running Mate... Targeting Rust Belt White Worker Votes (Comprehensive)

Pro-People, Pro-Union Tone Strong
WSJ: "Advantage in Swing States Wisconsin and Michigan"
Trump: "Thank You!", Vance: "Far-Left Radical"

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris has selected progressive-leaning white male Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz, a white male from a working-class background with a strong "pro-working class, pro-union" stance, is seen as a strategic move to expand support among white workers in the Rust Belt battleground states for the November election.

On the 6th (local time), Vice President Harris proudly announced on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "I am proud to announce that I have asked Tim Walz to be my running mate." She added, "As a governor, coach, teacher, and veteran, he has delivered results for American working-class families like his own," emphasizing, "Having him on our team is a great thing."

Born in 1964 and now 60 years old, Governor Walz served six terms as a U.S. Representative from Minnesota before becoming governor in 2019. His political stance is strongly progressive, with a pro-working class and pro-union orientation. He is also praised for his clear and rational communication on key Democratic issues such as gun control and strengthening public education.

Within and outside the Democratic Party, Walz's selection is interpreted as a move to target white working-class voters in the Rust Belt. The public endorsement of Walz by Sean Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), is also seen as influential. Walz’s stable white male image is expected to help mitigate some voters' resistance surrounding Harris, who is an Indian-American Black woman. Previously, Vice President Harris had considered running mate candidates including Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona alongside Walz.

Local U.S. media analyzed that Governor Walz is a card that can increase support in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan. The economic daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, "He is well-known in western Wisconsin, which shares the media market with Minnesota, and Michigan has economic and cultural similarities with Minnesota, where he is governor," adding, "Walz can be especially helpful in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan." The Washington Post (WP) also stated, "Walz represents a highly competitive region in the U.S.," and "Vice President Harris’s choice of Walz will give the Democratic Party a certain level of balance that feels politically advantageous."

The Democratic Party expects that Walz, a self-made man from the Rust Belt's working-class background, will be a strong card to appeal to white middle- and lower-class voters against Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio.

In particular, Walz used the phrase "They're weird" targeting former President Trump and Senator Vance, the Republican presidential candidates, which was warmly received among Democratic supporters, especially online.

After being selected as the vice presidential candidate, Walz stated on X, "It is a lifelong honor to be on this campaign with Harris," and declared, "I'm all in."

Vice President Harris will head to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of the same day to hold her first joint campaign rally with Governor Walz. At the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, from the 19th to the 22nd, they will deliver their acceptance speeches as presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively.

Meanwhile, former President Trump wrote "THANK YOU!" on his social media platform Truth Social after Walz was confirmed as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Analysts interpret this as relief that the more progressive Walz was chosen compared to other vice presidential candidates. At a Philadelphia event on the same day, Senator Vance criticized Governor Walz as "one of the most extreme left-wing radicals."