Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, we look at Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate — what it means for Democrats, Republicans and the 2024 election — and what the path forward is for both campaigns.
Editor’s note: Taking a short break from the policy desk after today’s edition. We will be back on Monday, August 12th.
Sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday.
Harris made his choice – here’s what’s next
By NBC News staff
Vice President Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz as her running mate, adding a popular Midwestern executive to the Democratic ticket as the party prepares to hold onto key northern battleground states this fall.
Adam Edelman, Monica Alba, Peter Alexander, Yamiche Alcindor and Gabe Gutierrez report here’s Walz’s passing of progressive legislation in Minnesota and his roots in a district that has trended red for decades in the House. He joined the National Guard at the age of 17 and served for more than two decades both domestically and abroad. He later worked as a high school teacher and football coach in Mankato, about 80 miles south of Minneapolis.
According to four sources familiar with the selection process, what could lead to a job interview for the Minnesotan is the strong chemistry Harris had with Walz when he met at her residence on Sunday.
This played a key role in his decision, as he was more clear than the other major candidates. Harris also appreciates how different Walsh is from him in terms of the contrast he can provide, sources said.
In the meantime, Walz begins a campaign that is not known nationally, Mark Murray notes: A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Tuesday says 71% of Americans have no opinion of Walz or have never heard of him. Another 17% viewed him positively, and 12% negatively.
Both campaigns will now race to determine it, and Republicans are starting He chose Walz as an agent of the far leftBy Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon.
Trump’s campaign talking points said Walz’s promotion completes his “team of radicals.” Dave McCormick, the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania supported by Trump, Harris-Walz brand as “the most liberal presidential ticket in history.” Others took similar steps.
GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance said on the campaign trail: “The biggest problem with Tim Walz is what’s been said about Kamala Harris — given the opportunity, she’ll kneel down to the most radical elements of her party.” Appearance in Philadelphia on Tuesday. “That’s exactly what he did here. He will continue this as the president.”
On Tuesday night, Harris and Walz began to frame him on their own terms — drawing on Walz’s middle-class roots, Army National Guard service and accomplishments in office to make both their case and against the Trump-Vance ticket. From there, it’s on to a sprint to see whose message resonates the most over the next three months.
Tim Walz’s election results clearly do not show a blue-collar push
By Steve Kornacki
According to Vice President Kamala Harris’s tactical calculations with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz could make a decisive push in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – three states where Democrats are most likely to win their ticket if they can hold them.
One of the major challenges for Democrats in these states is the blue-collar and small-town areas that the party once contested competitively (or at least respectably) during and after the emergence of Donald Trump in 2016. Walz’s own story and style will be relatable and reassuring to some of these voters, at least chipping away at some of the Trump GOP’s newfound advantage.
But there’s a catch: Walz couldn’t do it himself in his last campaign.
One way to measure this is to look at results at the county level. Forty-nine of Minnesota’s 87 counties could be considered “Trump Wave” counties; that is, Republicans did at least 20 points better there in 2016 and 2020 under Trump than they did in 2012, when Mitt Romney was the GOP nominee. All of these counties are part of Greater Minnesota, many are rural, and nearly all are white. In these states, the share of white adults without a four-year degree ranges from 72% to 85%.
Walsh’s performance in them compares to Biden in 2020 and Obama in 2012:
Then there is the flip side. Minnesota has eight counties that you might call “blue wave” states — the only places in the state where Democrats did better in 2020 under Biden than they did under Obama in 2012. These include the heart of the Twin Cities (Hennepin and Ramsey counties, home to Minneapolis and St. Paul) and their densely populated, college-degree-rich suburbs.
Here’s how Walz compares to Biden and Obama in counties:
In the ’22 campaign, Walz’s coalition seemed to have become the standard, post-Obama coalition for Democrats. It collected huge margins in metro areas and was beaten almost everywhere. To boost the ticket in these states beyond what has become the norm for the Democratic Party, Walz will have to overcome Trump-era polarization where he was unable to in 2022.
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 📰 Where it stands: The Minnesota Star Tribune breaks down where Walz stands on a number of key issues. More →
- 🗣️ Borderline: Harris is trying to head off the potential weakness by ramping up his rhetoric on immigration. More →
- 🗳️ Voters will vote: Four states — Missouri, Washington, Kansas and Michigan — are holding primaries on Tuesday to watch for several key races. More →
- 🐻 RFK Jr. There is no penalty for: It’s too late for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to face financial penalties for dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park. More →
- 🎸 Walz’s Glory Days: A big fan of the Boss, Walz declared March 5 Bruce Springsteen Day in Minnesota, according to the New York Times. More →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
If you are a fan, please share with anyone and everyone. They can register here.