Let happiness be translated into votes.
The oldest members of the Democratic Party staked even more ground on their last-ditch bet on their vivacious new presidential ticket over the first two days of the party’s convention.
The spotlight is now squarely on Tim Walz and Kamala Harris.
A big portion of the nation is unfamiliar with the vice president and the governor of Minnesota, and they have never faced anything like the impending storm of an electoral showdown with Donald Trump.
And they couldn’t have asked for more assistance from the Democratic Party heavyweights over the past four decades.
Joe Biden’s 50-year political career came to an end as president.
Obama pleaded with a divided country to reestablish “our bonds of affection”—a term used by Abraham Lincoln—and support Harris.
From behind the cracks in the highest and hardest glass ceiling, Hillary Clinton could see Harris taking the oath of office as the first female president. Clinton came so close to ending the male monopoly on the presidency.
And another ex-first lady, Michelle Obama, proclaimed, “hope is making a comeback” and pleaded with people to “do something” to prevent Trump from regaining office.
The goal of Harris’s campaign is to materialize her slogan.
As their campaign reaches a pivotal new phase, Harris and Walz will spend the next two nights in Chicago answering the question of whether their friendly duo can grow into a significant political force.
The pressure on Walz to step up to the national political arena will start on Wednesday. The following night, it will be Harris’ turn. She aims to revitalize her political brand following a challenging vice presidency and equal her 2024 campaign metamorphosis.
In the polls, Harris has nearly eliminated Trump’s lead. She has given Democrats renewed optimism about retaking the House and maintaining their Senate majority. Additionally, she has envisioned a hopeful future for the United States that differs from the Republican nominee’s nightmare scenario of a nation governed by a despot.
“We are not going back.” It’s a catchphrase she came up with, and her party is jumping on it in anticipation of Trump’s comeback.
But that’s where things get easier.
With the energy, solidarity, and renewed focus that shook the Chicago convention center, Harris and Walz must now build a presidential campaign capable of winning.
After a lackluster vice presidency and a 2020 primary campaign that rose to prominence but then faded, Hillary is under intense pressure to demonstrate that she can hold her own in a fiercely contested race against a formidable Republican opponent. Thursday night’s prime-time address is her greatest opportunity to make a presidential impression and demonstrate her strength and determination to lead the nation.
Next up is Walz.
A middle-class Midwestern parent, hunter, high school football coach, military veteran, and current governor of Minnesota will be on display to the nation on Wednesday. In private, a Democratic operative on Tuesday referred to Walz as a “walking coalition” due to the many groups he can appeal to.
However, he will take the stage after a prime example of the consequences of a vice presidential nominee’s disastrous debut. The Trump campaign hit a low point in late July due in part to Ohio Senator JD Vance, who is running with the president, after giving a lackluster speech at the Republican National Convention last month. This set the tone for a difficult debut, which in turn sent his approval numbers plunging.
The vice presidential nominees do not determine the outcome of the election; but, Walz’s charismatic appeal to the middle class could provide a balance to Harris’s campaign, which could upset change-averse voters.
For middle-class men, Walz exemplifies an alternative to MAGA conservatism in politics. His homely approach appeals to rural voters, who might potentially reduce margins in districts where Trump runs strongest, according to Democratic strategists who hope he could be especially useful to the ticket in recruiting these voters.
Former Democratic Governor of Montana Steve Bullock told AWN on Tuesday, “Here’s a guy that can talk anywhere and people can connect with him as a human being, as a coach, as a former teacher.” Bullock was known for appealing to cultural conservatives even as his party shifted to the left. Wherever people are, he will meet them there. Mattering to them, he will address these matters in his conversations with them.
Walz has served in the House before, but he has had significantly less experience in national politics than other recent vice presidential nominees. These include Joe Biden, who was a senator for a long time before joining Obama in 2008, Dick Cheney, who was defense secretary under George W. Bush in 2000, and Al Gore, who was Clinton’s choice in 1992.
Even Trump’s campaign is aware of the danger. It has been very critical of Walz because he retired from the Army National Guard just before his unit deployed to Iraq. (The governor of Minnesota claimed he was unaware of the deployment in advance.) After the Harris campaign clarified that Vance had incorrectly implied that he had a pistol in a combat zone, he assaulted him. On top of that, the Republican from Ohio accused Walz of being dishonest about his and his wife Gwen’s use of reproductive medications on Monday, perhaps further alienating female voters. Even while the Trump camp is praising Walz for his leftist governorship, the Harris campaign is trying to portray his moderate, good-natured personality as an obstacle.