As I write this at 3pm on Sunday, Kamala Harris hasn’t announced who her running mate will be, but I’m pulling for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
He’s a pro-labor politician who was the first to define Trump, Vance, and their acolytes as “weird.” The use of that description has since gone viral, and the fact that it drives MAGA Morons crazy makes me like it even more. Walz is also good on TV and will wipe the floor with Vance if they ever have a debate. Besides, he managed to get elected to Congress six times in a very red district before ascending to the state’s top position.
As the son of a public high school social studies teacher, I like that Walz spent many years doing the same. That means he understands both history and the value of public schools. When he’s been asked about the issue of vouchers for private schools, he has explained very simply that he grew up in a town of 400 people where there were no private schools. How were the people of his community going to benefit from vouchers they could never use? The only ones who would reap rewards from such programs would be richer people in upscale communities who already send their kids to private schools. Is that who taxpayers want to subsidize?
One of the other candidates Harris is vetting is Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and naval aviator. He’s also famous for being the husband of Gabby Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt in 2011. While all those things accrue to a positive image for Kelly, anyone chosen to be the Vice President should have some experience in governing. Like JD Vance, Kelly has none. His careers have consisted of following orders, not giving them. Being a US Senator has different responsibilities than being Governor of a state. Even Kamala’s experience as Attorney General of California meant being in charge of a lot of people.
So, what about another governor like Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania? Some speculation arrows are pointing in his direction because the Harris campaign has announced a campaign kickoff event on Tuesday in Philadelphia. But, as I wrote eleven days ago, the fact that Shapiro is Jewish would work against him on the national ticket. While the country might be ready for a woman in the oval office — and a biracial woman at that — it is not ready to simultaneously elect a Jewish person to the second-highest office in the land.
Except for JFK picking LBJ in 1960, there’s been no evidence in the intervening years that choosing a veep candidate from a swing state has helped anyone get elected president. But having someone who is not only likable but shares the presidential candidate’s views — and can make the case for them in easy-to-understand speeches and sound bites — would certainly be an asset.
It’s clear Walz fits that bill.