Can Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz win votes in rural America? The odds are slim, but they seem to be trying anyway.
Harris and her running mate are trying out a strategy that targets rural voters, especially in swing states. The script seems clear: get out of the traffic-congested, smoggy cities and out into the green countryside to present their interests to people who may not have seen a Democrat in years.
The question is: Will trading concrete and skyscrapers for grass and trees assist the vice president gain enough support?
Walz, a Midwestern native with a background as a football coach and hunter, appears to be using his roots to win over rural voters by assuming the role of “every-dad,” complete with flannel shirts and pheasant hunts, according to NBC NewsHis image is intended to appeal to “white, working-class and rural voters, the kind of electorate that Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz want to appeal to ahead of the exciting battles in the swing states,” the report said.
The campaign is making a substantial effort to highlight Harris’s working-class roots, hoping to resonate with that demographic. She has often been portrayed as a member of the coastal elite – because that’s what she is – but she presents herself as the daughter of immigrants who (she claims) worked at McDonald’s before climbing the corporate ladder to become vice president. Team Harris believes they could have a chance with “white moderate voters and blue-collar workers – with whom Harris may have less appeal.”
To implement this strategy, the campaign relies on Obama-era strategists, including David Plouffe and Stephanie Cutter. The team is focusing on classic, patriotic themes typically associated with Republican politicians. Walz’s football team even attended the Democratic National Convention and chanted “patriotic ‘USA!'”
Given the close election results, it’s understandable that Democrats are trying to broaden their horizons a bit. But that plan probably won’t work for Harris for several reasons.
Let’s start with the obvious.
Rural America has been “MAGA Country” for some time now. Even before former President Donald Trump took office, Republicans had a firm grip on these areas, which are typically neglected by Democrats.
People who live in these areas mostly agree: leave us alone. Unfortunately for Harris, that’s the very last thing her party wants to do. Although Harris hasn’t yet presented a policy platform, her positions aren’t arduous to read, especially since Team Trump is sticking to the far-left policies she has supported in the past.
Moreover, it is also worth noting that Walz’s record as governor has been anything but conservative, despite his love of wearing flannel and hunting pheasants. His dishonesty about his military career will surely turn off voters in those areas as well. Moreover, it will be demanding to win over hunters if you support policies aimed at violating Second Amendment rights. You can’t be a “Fudd” and expect to win over rural gun owners.
And finally, despite Democrats’ best efforts to distract from it, the issues being discussed at the kitchen table are at the heart of this election. As the saying goes, “It’s the economy, stupid.” People in rural America are struggling to put food on the table just like people in the city and the suburbs. The Biden administration has failed to address this problem, an issue that is sure to keep rural America in Trump’s camp.
One thing is certain: To gain traction in rural America, Harris will need more than flannel shirts and “USA”-speak. Unfortunately, she and her running mate have little more than symbolism for their campaign.
