(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . It's Looking Like Walz [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-08-03 There are some interesting stories appearing this afternoon which lead me to think the choice has been made — and it will be Tim Walz of Minnesota. On Thursday, Walz made plans to go to New Hampshire for the weekend: Gov. Tim Walz to visit New Hampshire on Sunday ahead of Kamala Harris’ VP announcement. An hour or so ago, he changed his plans. Tim Walz Makes Sudden Schedule Change Amid VP Buzz: In a move that has intensified speculation about his potential selection as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has reportedly canceled his planned trip to New Hampshire this weekend. WMUR (Manchester) also reported that Minnesota governor cancels NH Harris campaign visit (no details). CNN is adding to the speculation: Renewed focus on Walz as Harris meets with VP vetting team for presentations on finalists As Kamala Harris closes in on her selection of a running mate this weekend, a renewed focus is being placed on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, people familiar with the search told CNN, even as the vice president continues to weigh whether Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would help deliver a Democratic victory in his critical battleground state. Harris is conducting face-to-face interviews with the final contenders, two sources said, with Walz poised to meet with her on Sunday. Now, this is tea-leaf reading and amateur Kremlinology, but look at it this way: Harris is doing interviews today, with the winnowing process to take place tonight, and final (maybe) interviews tomorrow. Walz made plans to be in NH tomorrow, evidently thinking he would not make the final cut. But suddenly he canceled those plans, meaning he did make the final cut. (Buttigieg and Shapiro also canceled weekend plans, but that was a day earlier.) This morning there was a media push to sell Josh Shapiro as Harris’s best choice for VP. Nate SIlver wrote Why she should pick Shapiro. Mark Penn (about whom the less said the better, lest I get a time out) argued for her in the New York Times: Why Josh Shapiro Would Make Such a Difference for Kamala Harris. Now, I’ve argued against Shapiro (and also Buttigieg and Pritzker) on the “glass ceiling” hypothesis — it’s better to break one of them at a time, and Harris is blasting away at two of them already: woman and half-Asian American. (Obama was also biracial.) These writers may have known something was up and were making a last pitch for their guy. This is speculation, but a reasonable one. Shapiro will deliver Pennsylvania for Harris whether he is on the ticket or not. In fact, he may do a better job of delivering PA if he is not on the ticket, because he can spend all his time campaigning for Harris in the state where he is a very popular governor, whereas as VP candidate he would be all over the country all at once. So it is actually an advantage for Walz that Minnesota is pretty solidly in the Harris column (taking nothing for granted, though!). So he can campaign in the battleground Midwest states of Michigan and Wisconsin, and perhaps relate to them better than Shapiro can. (And while it troubles me greatly to admit it, Shapiro might be a drawback in heavily Arab-American Michigan. Shapiro is also vulnerable to being painted as an elitist.) Walz also appeals to the rural voters even outside the swing states, which if nothing else will force Trump to spend time and money there (which he hates to do). Trump, perhaps not coincidentally, thinks it will be Shapiro. That may well mean he hopes it will be Shapiro. We should never make decisions based on “advice” from the other side, nor take their supposed hopes and fears too much into account. So, I think it will likely be Walz. If not him, then it will be Shapiro or Kelly. ---------------------— PS: Another reason I think it will be Walz: Harris to meet with running mate finalists as process nears end (WaPo): Harris will meet with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations. It is unclear how many of the three other finalists — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois — have been invited to meet with Harris. In choosing her running mate, Harris is not solely concerned with electability but is also looking for a governing partner and someone she feels chemistry with, her allies say. [emphasis added] Shapiro has been a governor for only 2 years; Kelly has no executive experience. Walz has been a governor for 5 years and won re-election. He has also managed to govern effectively and progressively. Prior to that, he was a Congressman for 13 years and so has a good understanding of how Congress works (and doesn’t). He also has a history with Harris (not perhaps an extensive one, but good so far): How well does Harris know her running mate choices? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/3/2260454/-It-s-Looking-Like-Walz?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/