The running mates selected by Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump provide some insights into what each party’s presidential nominee thinks will motivate swing voters.
Both candidates know they need to win over moderate voters in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
By tapping Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Ms. Harris is targeting White men. Mr. Walz is a 60-year-old White male, a military veteran and a former football coach.
On the flip side, Mr. Trump’s selecting Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio is a turn away from “woke” politics, which the Trump campaign is betting will pick up swing voters. Mr. Vance has touted his rise from poverty to being a Yale Law School graduate as proof the American dream is alive and well.
“Both campaigns took different approaches to the vice presidential formula,” said Kevin Madden, a political strategist who served on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
“Trump needs to get disaffected Republicans to return home. Harris needs to win back suburban voters who are grumpy about the economy and border security. Could the VP picks make a huge difference? They usually don’t. But in a race that’s expected to be close, that will be won at the margins, there’s not a lot of room for error.”
Polls show the race is tight across the handful of battleground states that will decide the election, but Ms. Harris has eked out a slight lead in several of those states.
Jay Williams, a Georgia-based political strategist, said picking Mr. Walz was a mistake.
“Walz really doesn’t bring anything to the table for her,” he said. “It’s a real head-scratcher.”
He said that if Ms. Harris picked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, it may have given Mr. Trump some trouble in those key states. But picking Mr. Walz could be Ms. Harris’ “undoing,” he said.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright disagreed.
“Vice President Harris and Tim Walz are probably one of the most balanced tickets we have seen,” he said. “You can’t get two candidates, who have different backgrounds and life experiences, yet have so much synergy and so many things that complement each other, and I think that is why you see the response happening the way it is.”
Mr. Walz, who was once part of the now-virtually extinct conservative Blue Dog Democrats, evolved into a staunch liberal.
He embraced a climate change agenda in Minnesota and codified abortion rights. He also ordered free tampons to be placed in all school bathrooms, which is viewed as a nod to the transgender community and earned him the nickname “Tampon Tim” from conservatives.
Presidential candidates typically looked to balance out their tickets with their VP.
Former Vice President Mike Pence brought a conservative Christian support to Mr. Trump’s 2016 and 2020 runs. President Biden looked to appeal to progressives by picking Ms. Harris as his running mate in 2020. And Mr. Biden previously added a White man with foreign policy chops to President Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
“This year, the picks have more to do with electoral success than ideological balance,” said Republican strategist Jimmy Keady.
He said both candidates are looking to target the Rust Belt.
“While both Walz and Vance buck the conventional standards for a vice presidential pick, their picks indicate the winner in November will be decided in the Rust Belt,” he said.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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