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Kamala Harris has announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, in a move generally viewed by US progressive organisations as a win for young people and left-wing politics more broadly.
Walz, who won the Democrats a one-seat majority in Minnesota’s state legislature in 2022, oversaw what has been described as “one of the most consequential and progressive legislative sessions in Minnesota history”.
It included universal free school meals, a billion-dollar infrastructure package, legalised cannabis, a carbon-free electricity bill, paid family and sick leave for workers, free public college for families making under $80,000 a year, bans on conversion therapy and PFAs (“forever chemicals”), automatic voter registration, regulations on fire-arms, and much more.
Prior to that eventful term in office, Walz was seen as more of a moderate. But US progressives have still found reasons to praise his record in the US House of Representatives – including his opposition to boots on the ground in Iraq in 2003, his vote against Wall Street bail-outs after the 2008 financia crash, and his support for LGBTQ+ issues including marriage equality.
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A former member of Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers’ union, Walz is viewed as a strong ally of the US’ ascendant organised labour movement, and union leaders were quick to praise Democratic presidential nominee Harris’ VP choice on Tuesday.
“He’s stood with the working class every step of the way, and has walked the walk, including on a UAW picket line last fall,” said Shawn Fein, president of the United Auto Workers trade union.
Liz Schuler, president of the AFL-CIO (the nation’s largest federation of unions), said that “Governor Walz isn’t only an ally to the labour movement, but also our union brother with a deep commitment to a pro-worker agenda”.
For Gen Z – America’s “most pro-union generation alive today” – Walz on the ticket could be a significant driver of turnout.
On the critical issue of the Israel-Gaza conflict, matters are slightly more complicated for America’s progressive youth. Nonetheless, the Walz pick has still been viewed as an olive branch to young progressives, given his unique foreign policy perspectives within the Democratic Party.
While Walz is not entirely aligned with the demands of America’s youth-led pro-Palestine movement, he has been a uniquely sympathetic voice.
In April, the Uncommitted Movement successfully got hundreds of thousands of Democratic primary voters to cast their ballots ‘uncommitted’ – a symbolic gesture that voiced internal dissent in the party over President Joe Biden’s unequivocal support for Israel’s ongoing assaults on Palestinians and his refusal to back a ceasefire deal.
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Walz, unlike many other key Democrats, did not condemn the group’s efforts. “They are asking to be heard, and that’s what they should be doing,” he said. “Their message is clear that they think this is an intolerable situation and that we can do more.”
Kamala Harris has since been accused of “antisemitism” for “snubbing” Pennsylvania Governor and runner-up Josh Shapiro over the VP spot.
Shapiro, an outspoken advocate for Israel who once volunteered for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, also went viral for comparing students wearing keffiyehs (to show support for Palestine) to the Ku Klux Klan. Accusations abound from Republicans (and some Democrats) that he wasn’t nominated due to his Jewish faith.
But perhaps it is not about racism at all. Instead, it could be seen as an attempt to unify the Democratic Party by recognising the outrage many young Americans feel about their nation’s role in what the International Court of Justice has determined to be a plausible genocide.
Walz is also appealing to young and progressive Americans for his strong and ‘likeable’ messaging, particularly online, making him a formidable opponent for his ‘weird’ rival, Republican VP nominee, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
As former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill put it on MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “Tim Walz is exactly what JD Vance is pretending to be.” She cited his white working class bona fides, including his emphasis on unions and workers’ rights, contrasting his record to Vance’s faux-populism.
Walz came out fired up at his first rally as nominee on Tuesday, immediately landing a tongue-in-cheek remark about the notorious Vance couch-loving allegations: “I can’t wait to debate the guy… if he’s willing to get off the couch.”
More broadly, Walz is also credited as the original inventor of the Democrats’ new ‘weird’ messaging strategy – attacking Republicans not just for being dangerous and anti-democratic, but for being genuinely strange.
As a former teacher, football coach, and father to two Gen Z children, Walz is viewed by many online teens as a colourful character with “cool dad” energy”.
Just as Kamala Harris branded herself with Gen Z’s ‘brat’ (referring to Charlie XCX’s recent album-cum-cultural phenomenon), Tim Walz is quickly becoming the internet’s “midwest princess” (referencing another Gen Z pop icon, Chappell Roan).
Social media hype aside, progressive organisations across the board see the Tim Walz pick as a positive sign for their respective movements.
The Sunrise Movement, a US-based climate action organisation, said he is the “fighter young people need”.
“Tim Walz is an excellent choice for Vice President,” its communications director Stevie O’Hanlon said. “This decision shows that Kamala Harris is taking seriously what is needed to rebuild the 2020 Biden-Harris coalition and energise young people, people of colour, and union voters ahead of November.”
March for Our Lives, Voters of Tomorrow, and a number of other youth-led organisations heartedly endorsed the VP choice.
Quentin Wathum-Ocama, president of the Young Democrats of America (also Minnesota DFL President), told Byline Times that “Governor Walz has nearly two decades of critical government experience, first as Congressman and now as a two-term Governor who has presided over one of the most consequential and progressive legislative sessions in Minnesota history.
“From massive investments in [kindergarten – 12th grade] education to making college free for families who earn under $80,000, his selection sends a clear message that a Harris-Walz administration is ready to deliver big for the American people on day one.”
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the nation’s largest socialist organisation (with a median age of 33), view Walz’ nomination as a sign of their influence on US politics. A spokesperson for its national political committee told Byline Times that “Harris choosing Walz as a running mate has shown the world that DSA and our allies on the left are a force that cannot be ignored”.
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“Through collective action, DSA and the US left more broadly have made it clear that change is needed,” they said. “DSA members organised in our workplaces and unions to realign the labour movement to support Palestinian liberation.
“The Uncommitted movement, in which DSA members played crucial roles nationally and in multiple states, pressured the Democratic establishment into choosing a new candidate, and backing down from a potential VP with direct ties to the IDF and who would have ferociously supported the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
“Our demands remain the same: Harris must call for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and put in place an embargo on all arms to Israel. Democratic Party politics have not changed, but the voices of millions of Americans are now demanding better from the President on Palestine and more. We are raising expectations, and we won’t rest until the genocide is ended and all people can be free.”
Popular political Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, known by his online moniker HasanAbi, told his 70,000 (mostly young and left-wing) live viewers on Tuesday that Walz “has got lovable older coach energy – that’s what he is – he’s outperformed the Democratic Party routinely as Governor – his legislative accomplishments are pretty solid. Top of the leader-board pick”.
“The Minnesota Democratic party is exactly what the Democratic Party is supposed to be like,” he said, adding that “I do think that they are responding positively to what they are hearing and what they are seeing from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Obviously this presents an opportunity. Keep pushing.”