WASHINGTON — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in a group text with dozens of current and former members of Congress, men and women, called “sports buddies.” They mostly talk about each other’s favorite teams.
But when Walz was interviewed on MSNBC after President Joe Biden withdrew, the conversation turned to a different kind of competition: who would be named Kamala Harris’ running mate.
“Walz blew it this morning in MS. He should be on the list now,” former Rep. John Yarmouth, D-Ky., texted the group.
It was part of the popular two-term governor’s media blitz in recent days, which not only helped add to the mainstream viral message. Harris campaign – Walz’s message clicked Republicaas ns “strange”. It was quickly embraced by Harris and other Democrats — and brought him into the fray short list of his veep suitors.
Walz did not participate in the text chain, but others felt the same way. “A lot of people were like, ‘Wow, Tim would be great,'” said Yarmouth, a former House Budget Committee chairman who retired from the House last year.
Yarmuth and Walz were elected to Congress in the blue wave of 2006, when Democrats picked up nearly 30 seats and controlled the House. Walz was soon elected freshman class president.
“It says a lot about the way he interacts with his colleagues and the love he’s able to create personally,” Yarmuth said.
Walz, 60, is relatively unknown on the national stage — most Democratic voters wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a crowd. But Walz, who served more than two decades in the Army National Guard and went on to be the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, was well-respected on Capitol Hill during his 12-year tenure, including his political instincts.
Lawmakers who work with him said Walz, a former high school social studies teacher and football coach, is not seen as a legislative leader, but they appreciate his outspoken demeanor and military service. They also saw his ability to consistently win re-election in a rural, red-leaning district that was nearly evenly split in 2012 and swung heavily to Donald Trump in 2016.
Harris’ short list
Walz is now one of several Democrats, including colleagues. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, are being vetted by Kamala Harris and her team for her running mate. But Walz’s old colleagues said it was his deep relationships on Capitol Hill that set him apart and could help Harris, whose four years in the Senate lacked the deep connections Biden built over decades and benefited from in the White House.
“You obviously had to look at the Democratic governors and the Midwest. I think he’s on that short list,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., explaining how Harris’ team, who served Walz all 12 years, could approach the selection. “But then you add that he served in Congress. He has connections with members of Congress. He is a veteran, works in the National Guard, is a teacher.”
“On balance, Governor Waltz checks more boxes than any other vice presidential candidate,” Larsen said.
Walz isn’t the only one on Harris’ short list with Hill experience (Kelly, for example, was drafted in 2020). But fellow Minnesota Democrat Rep. Betty McCollum pointed out that Walz had the most experience in Congress of anyone on the slate and said being a creature of the House is arguably more valuable than the Senate.
“’All politics is local’ is something the House needs to understand, especially people like Tim who come from a formerly red district. How committed are you to the values you want to advance nationally and still reflect and represent the faith and belief of the region you represent? McCollum said.
Larsen sees many parallels between the Barack Obama-Joe Biden partnership and a potential Harris-Walz ticket. Obama was a senator like Biden, but he didn’t have the decades of experience and connections that Biden had. So Obama leaned on Biden to work the aisles, meet with lawmakers and pass his agenda on the Hill. Larsen, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, also suggested former Sen. Harris, who is out of California politics, could use a House man.
“The House is a different character than the Senate, and I think having those connections in the House would be important for a president like Harris coming out of the Senate,” Larsen said in an interview. “He will and should build his relationships—there’s no doubt about that. But if you’ve got something, why recreate it?”
Local campaigner
During his time in Congress — from 2007 to 2019 — Walz kept a low profile on divisive national issues and kept it mostly local. It helped him keep his seat in Democratic hands through red waves in 2010 and 2014. In 2016, Trump dominated his district and Walz was re-elected by less than 1 point. He soon left to pursue the first of two successful bids for governor. Republicans have been on a winning streak in that House district ever since.
DN.M., who became a congressman in 2016 and chaired the campaign group of the House of Representatives. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan said Walz “ran strong campaigns.” “He won the trust of his voters. His voters didn’t just vote for him, they liked him.
“Congressman Walz was the type of representative who would be seen in every corner of his district, he would have town halls in every corner of his district,” Lujan said. “And even voters who disagreed with his voting record appreciated his willingness to listen and speak up.”
If elected, Harris will make history as the first female president and the first black woman and the first person of South Asian descent. Being from California, he needs a running mate who can help shore up support for Democrats in battleground states in the upper Midwest or Sun Belt.
McCollum He said he helped recruit Walsh to the district in 2006 after seeing how well he interacted with various groups in southern Minnesota.
“Being a football coach and a teacher, he knew a lot of people in town and went out and talked to farmers and just talked to people and really listened — that’s how he took this district,” he said.
McCollum recalled being met with fury by Rahm Emanuel, who as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at the time oversaw the party’s efforts to take back control of the House.
“I went back to Rahm and said, ‘I met this incredible guy.’ He’s in a red district and I think he’s going to win,’” McCollum recalled. “And Rahm looked at me like I was crazy. He said: “No, he has neither money nor anything.”
“Tim built a wonderful grassroots campaign,” he said.
Rep. Angie Craig, another Democrat from Minnesota, recalled how she was moved in 2006 when Walz, who ran in a conservative district, campaigned in support of marriage equality.
“The level of courage he has shown over the years is quite extraordinary. It’s very personal to me,” said Craig, who became the first openly gay elected to Congress from Minnesota in 2018.
“In 2006, he was a proud supporter of marriage equality from a red congressional district. It certainly wasn’t a popular position at the time,” he said. “We all remember that there were even Democratic presidential candidates. [at that time] who wouldn’t support marriage equality. It didn’t score Tim any political points. But as a Minnesotan in 2006, I can’t tell you what it meant to my wife and I and our four sons that he did the right thing and stood up for families like mine because he thought it was right. do.”
Although he didn’t overlap with Walz in Congress, Craig says he sees traces of her in the relationships he’s built with other members during his 12 years in the chamber — something he’s sure he’ll use a lot as vice president to help. to move the law.
“People love Tim Walz in Washington,” he said. “So in terms of actually getting things done, I think Tim would be a great person.”
“He has a leg up when it comes to relationships in Congress, friendships in Washington from his time there,” he said.
Veterans’ issues
Walz, who became the highest-ranking retired noncommissioned officer to serve in Congress when he was sworn in in 2007, is also fondly remembered by former House colleagues with military experience.
Patrick Murphy, a former congressman who served as an adviser to the U.S. Army under Obama, said he and Walz worked together in 2010 to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and praised his former colleague. Lead author of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
But beyond those accomplishments, Murphy expressed how important it is to have a former veteran in the White House.
“The two largest federal agencies are the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Having someone with that knowledge and experience, especially someone from the post-9/11 generation, is incredibly important,” said Murphy, who shared a small apartment with Walz when the two were first-year lawmakers in Washington together.
“The fact that he was a high school teacher and football coach who answered our country’s call in its time of need, that he left his family to go overseas, that he was one of less than 1% of Americans who answered that call … is a testament to his public service and love of country,” Murphy said.