Iowa Democrats celebrate Harris’ running mate choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart spoke on "Iowa Press" Aug. 10, 2023. (Screen shot courtesy of Iowa PBS)Iowa Democrats expressed excitement about Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate pick Tuesday of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic executive of a neighboring state.
Harris officially announced Walz as the vice presidential nominee for her ticket Tuesday. The choice of who would join Harris, who has secured the support of enough delegates Monday to become the Democratic presidential nominee, was a point of extensive speculation following President Joe Biden’s decision to exit the race and support Harris as his successor.
Democrats are hoping for a vice presidential pick that can help secure votes and shift the tides in swing states to ensure a win against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.
Walz joining Harris’ ticket is a move to help boost Democrats’ prospects in key Midwestern battleground states, as well as with rural and working class voters. Walz, a former social studies teacher and Army National Guard veteran, won his race for governor in 2018 and was reelected in 2022 and brings a record of winning purple and red areas in the state.
Iowa Democrats voiced their support for Walz as a vice presidential candidate, expressing excitement that a Midwesterner will be on the ballot as part of the presidential election. Walz has been a frequent visitor to Iowa, visiting the Iowa State Fair in 2023 to support Democrats as GOP contenders campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination, and has regularly joined Iowa Democrats’ events as a progressive governor of a nearby state.
Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said in an interview Tuesday that she was thrilled to see Walz as Harris’ running mate.
“People are looking for hope again, and joy, and I think that’s where he’s a really good match with Kamala Harris too,” Konfrst said. “He’s got a positive vision. We’re looking forward here. We’re done talking about grievance politics, and where Donald Trump went wrong, and how he got hurt and how he, you know, is a victim of whatever sort of political system he’s in. (Walz is) talking about Iowans and Americans instead of himself, and they’re putting people first, and that is going to have a huge resonance in Iowa across the country.”
Konfrst said she has enjoyed meeting Walz, and debating with him about whether the Minnesota or Iowa State Fair was better. Konfrst also said Walz’s “dad energy” and down-to-earth attitude will be will be an asset to Democrats appealing to swing voters or people not engaged in politics during the upcoming election.
The Minnesota governor was at the forefront of a Democratic push to label Republicans and GOP policies as “weird” in recent weeks.
“This is going back to the bread and butter, getting away from this division,” Walz said on Harris’ role as the nominee in a MSNBC interview July 23. “We do not like what has happened, where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary.”
Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum also said that Walz joining Harris’ ticket made her “more confident than ever that we will defeat Donald Trump in November.”
“As a former teacher and coach, Governor Walz’s commitment to educating our children and to the well-being of working families, including cutting taxes for the middle class, make him an exceptional choice for Vice President,” Jochum said in a statement. “Governor Walz tells it like it is and knows how to get things done.”
Iowa Republicans, including Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, criticized Walz’s policies as Minnesota governor Tuesday following the announcement.
“Kamala choosing radical Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her nominee reinforces the fact that four more years of Kamala means four more years of the same dangerous policies that have proven over and over again to be detrimental to our country,” Kaufmann said in a statement. “Walz has welcomed leftist California policies into Minnesota: he destroyed their economy by wiping away their surplus, let the city burn from riots in 2020, and has allowed crime to skyrocket. Meanwhile, Kamala is a champion of Biden’s progressive agenda, and now her and Gov. Walz will take these policies even further.”
But Konfrst said Walz’s place as a Midwestern Democrat in the presidential election will help Iowa Democrats across the ballot, especially as he speaks out about issues like abortion and education funding.
Iowa’s six-week abortion ban went into effect July 29, and Republican lawmakers have passed measures in recent years allowing the use of state funds for private school costs and making changes to the state’s Area Education Agencies — issues that will play a major role in the 2024 election, Konfrst said.
“This race is going to be about reproductive freedom and public education, because that’s what Iowans are most fired up about,” Konfrst said. “So to have those two people top of the ticket, a teacher and a fighter for reproductive freedom, you know are, are just, it’s just perfect for their great mouthpieces for these issues that were already going to be the biggest issues in Iowa.”
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