With Tim Walz officially on Kamala Harris’ ballot, there is a lot of debate about what influence he will have. Most Republicans see it as a gift. A radical left-wing governor from a non-swing state with a radical past and countless slogans to work with.
Among Democrats, the picture is murkier. While the press tries to paint Walz as a “centrist” just because he’s white and from the Midwest, progressives in the party are overjoyed at his election. What does that tell you? It tells you that if Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are thrilled, Walz is the socialist he previously claimed to be.
SEE: The press rushes to put lipstick on the pig, but Tim Walz’s election is a disaster for the Democrats
Still, the idea that Walz appeals to the “working class” and could attract voters from the rural Rust Belt quickly became a topic of conversation, but MSNBC election analyst Steve Kornacki tempered that view.
Kornacki criticizes Walz’s circumstances in a diminutive town in Minnesota:
“This is where the Democrats lost ground, and Walz has not made up any ground in 2022.”
“The idea that he will automatically resonate in these small towns is not reflected in his actual voting performance.” pic.twitter.com/11m74oKUjH
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) 6 August 2024
What the data shows is that Walz, although he supposedly played the role, did not gain any ground with rural, working-class Minnesotans in 2022. In fact, he’s lost some ground compared to what Joe Biden gained in 2020. That certainly doesn’t look like Walz has any special appeal to the demographic Trump wants to utilize to his advantage. Moreover, Walz’s overall lead in 2022 had shrunk sharply compared to his previous first-term victory, showing surprising vulnerability in a state that has been firmly in Democratic hands since 1972.
But none of this is really surprising, is it? Walz’s record is chock full of wild left-wing nonsense, from declaring Minnesota a “sanctuary” for “gender-affirming care” for children to issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. He’s a real radical, and rural working-class voters aren’t stupid enough to be manipulated any other way.
That’s the thing about Walz. He’s the liberal Beltway resident idea of what a worker is. He is a caricature of the working class, created by luxurious elites who wouldn’t even recognize “normal” if it was slapped in their face. He Strictly speaking has no special appeal. It only has that appeal to a select group of people who live in a bubble. I’m talking about the Tom Nichols and Jennifer Rubins of the world.
His task is not to activate working class voters
It’s about activating wealthy white suburban liberals who feel he *could* appeal to the working class https://t.co/fo3Mb8giwP
– Sagar Enjeti (@esaagar) 6 August 2024
That is the key, and that is what the press is missing. They are keen to portray him as a sympathetic centrist, but Walz Really is on the ballot to soothe the souls of wealthy, white, liberal women. Does that really add to the Democratic coalition? I don’t think so, but Kamala Harris doesn’t exactly have a history of making sound political judgments.
