Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, is from a small town in Nebraska, and he really wants people to know that.
Walz sees himself as an ordinary guy that looks out for every one of his neighbours, no matter who they vote for, pray for or how they love. This, he said, was because he grew up in a small town.
“You look out for them, and they look out for you,” he said at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. “Everybody belongs and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.”
This is a belief that Democrats hope will resonate strongly not just with those of the midwest, but with people living in small towns across the nation, who are likely to be the key to winning the November election.
Sporting success
The Democratic convention saw Walz’s first major speech as vice-presidential candidate. Despite being on a platform with stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton, Walz is very definitely not part of the glitterati. He embraces his homespun background, and his time as a high school sports coach with enthusiasm, bringing former members of his team on to stage to emphasise the point.
He even drew on a sporting metaphor to make a point about the campaign: “We’re down a field goal, but we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field, and boy do we have the right team.”
Despite his inexperience of speaking to a national audience, Walz showed that he is a great communicator. His use of plain, common language and his references to years as a high school teacher and in the National Guard clearly connected with the audience and gave an insight into what Americans could expect of his style as vice-president.
In stark contrast to Republican speeches on the campaign trail, Walz showed warmth, and rather than attacking other Americans, he etched out a vision of a US where people helped others out when times were tough. He also gave some hints of what a Harris-Walz administration would hope to achieve.
“We’ll build a country where workers come first, health care and housing are human rights, and the government stays the hell out of your bedroom,” he said. “That’s how we make America a place where no child is left hungry. Where no community is left behind. Where nobody gets told they don’t belong.”
And, just like Joe Biden, Walz illustrated not just his willingness to reach across the political divide to work with Republicans, but what it can achieve.
“I learned how to work across the aisle on issues like growing the rural economies and taking care of veterans. And I learned how to compromise without compromising my values,” he said to applause.
It was an impressive debut.
Walz increases his profile
Only two weeks before the convention, an NPR/PBS poll found that 71% of those questioned had never heard of Walz, so the speech was an opportunity for Walz to introduce himself to many of the national audience for the first time.
Two weeks can be a long time in politics, and Walz is working hard to increase his national profile. Walz spent hours earlier in the convention week meeting state and caucus representatives, and being swamped by people asking for selfies.
Throughout the convention, Walz has made sterling efforts to bring different sections of the party together. At a meeting with the Congressional black caucus meeting, he called on voters to make “a generational difference” by electing Harris as president.
And at the LGBTQ+ caucus meeting, he spoke about protecting rights. “Rights don’t work like pie, there’s enough for everybody,” he said.
Massachusetts governor Maura Healey called Walz the “real deal”, and even the right-leaning television station Fox News was running footage of Walz’s football team on stage.
Former president Barack Obama also underlined his support for Walz as vice-presidential hopeful. “I love this guy!” he said in his speech to the convention. “You can tell those flannel shirts of his don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff!”
Naturally, Walz’s Republican opponents are looking for ways to attack Walz.
J.D. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, accused Walz of lying about his military record.
Countering Vance’s accusations, Walz said: “I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record.”
“I’m proud to have served my country, and I always will be.”
Walz is currently polling well in comparison with Vance. In an AP/NORC survey conducted just a week after the NPR/PBS poll, 36% of those polled had a favourable opinion of Walz, compared to the 27% that thought the same of Vance.
Perhaps more significant is the number of people who had an unfavourable view of Walz – just 25% compared to Vance’s 44%.
Will this make a difference in the November election? Well, Walz has certainly made a better first impression than Vance did.
He’s spoken clearly and simply about what is on offer, and there is an energy within the Democratic campaign that is lacking in the Republican camp right now.
Walz will be more than Harris’s cheerleader should they be elected. He will be a strong voice for small-town Americans, and everything that he thinks that stands for.