| August 07, 2024 08:01:12 AM |
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| August 07, 2024 08:01:12 AM |
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It’s only Wednesday and it’s been a whirlwind week for the presidential campaign, with Vice President Kamala Harris winning the Democratic presidential nomination in a virtual roll call, then hours later unveiling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Welcome to this special midweek edition of AP Ground Game. |
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) |
How Harris’ VP pick happened |
Walz had two initial jump starts, the first largely unnoticed, the second underappreciated.
The first came earlier this year when the governor and the vice president visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul. That visit underscored shared values between the two, according to people familiar with Harris’ thinking. Key issues that resonated with Harris included Walz’s advocacy for in vitro fertilization and child tax credits – an idea Walz has used in Minnesota.
The next key moment came July 23, two days after Biden’s withdrawal, when Walz went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and uttered a dig at former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance that quickly went viral.
“These guys are just weird,” Walz said, in his signature conversational, informal matter.
Three people met Harris on Sunday: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Walz. According to people familiar with the conversations, her 90-minute conversation with Walz stood out.
Kelly seemed to fade first, according to those familiar with the deliberations. Shapiro’s potential liabilities – criticism from the left that he supported Israel to strongly in its war against Hamas, and a sense that he might be too good on the stump -- remained part of the assessment about him.
She made the call Tuesday. It turned out Walz was not quite ready. The first time Harris dialed his number, he did not pick up what showed up as a restricted number. When she dialed again, and he saw the same message again, he answered – and accepted her offer. Read more. |
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Of note:
The process offered a preview of how Harris might fare under the pressures of the Oval Office, quickly working through options, with minimal leaks and a result that, at least initially, has drawn plaudits from a party that already has settled on one undisputed goal: defeating Trump and Vance in November. |
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Candidates’ travel shows Midwest’s importance |
Much of the party’s division over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict has been focused in Michigan, where Harris is scheduled to hold one of her largest rallies yet Wednesday evening in Detroit. Arab American leaders there see Harris’ pick as a sign that she has been attentive to their concerns and say it opens the door for future discussions about whether they can unite behind her in November.
“The party is recognizing that there’s a coalition they have to rebuild,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. “Picking Walz is another sign of good faith.”
Harris and her new running mate will travel together to Wisconsin on Wednesday before heading to Michigan. They hope the selection of a Midwestern governor as a running mate will help build on the momentum of her campaign — still less than a month old, beginning only after Biden chose to withdraw as a candidate July 21 and culminating with her nomination as the Democratic Party nominee on Monday — in the two key swing states. Read more.
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Of note:
Trump had put a similar emphasis on appealing to voters in Midwestern states with his VP pick of Vance, who will again bracket the Harris-Walz ticket with appearances in the same states. Vance starts Wednesday in Michigan before heading to Eau Claire, Wisconsin – the same city where the Democratic candidates will appear hours later before going to Michigan. |
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Shapiro is passed over, disappointing some supporters |
Harris’ pick of Walz disappointed Shapiro fans who saw him as someone who could help Democrats win a key swing state and make history by becoming the first Jewish vice president. He gave an impassioned intro to Harris and Walz Tuesday night, with Walz returning the favor with several compliments later.
But the same things about Shapiro that appealed to moderates angered some on the left in his party: his support for a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure as well as particularly his support for Israel’s war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Republicans, meanwhile, tried to paint Harris’ choice as a snub to Jewish voters, a traditionally Democratic constituency that Trump has tried to court in this year’s race. Vance told reporters in Philadelphia on Tuesday that it seemed Harris didn’t pick Shapiro because Democrats feared “grassroots activists in their party wouldn’t take a Jewish nominee.” Read more.
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Of note:
Democrats in Shapiro’s home state say they feel the governor will still be an asset to Harris and Walz in their campaign. “Look, Gov. Shapiro’s a rockstar in this state. People love him,” said state Sen. Sharif Street, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chair. “But he will still be out there campaigning for this ticket. They haven’t lost Josh Shapiro.” |
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JD Vance speaks with reporters at a news conference on Tuesday, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
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Harris and Walz continue their battleground state swing, heading from Pennsylvania onward to Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, followed by Arizona and Nevada later this week.
- In a schedule aimed to be somewhat parallel, Vance heads to Michigan, then Wisconsin on Wednesday. Both he and Harris called off North Carolina stops due to inclement weather.
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Trump holds a rally Friday in Bozeman, Montana, and a fundraiser in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday. On Monday night, Trump says he’s doing an interview with Elon Musk.
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Harris, a daughter of immigrants who rose through the California political and law enforcement ranks to become the first female vice president in U.S. history, formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday — becoming the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket. Read more.
Trump is hoping a dramatic sell-off in the U.S. stock market creates an opening to attack Harris over who is best positioned to shepherd the economy, labeling the Monday drop as a “Kamala Crash.” Read more. |
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