The Strategy Behind Picking Tim Walz

Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for a number of reasons, and one the biggest ones is that they clicked during a one-on-one interview Sunday, insiders say. Sources tell Politico that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's team felt his interview didn't go as well. Beyond the personal connection, Harris was also impressed with Walz's biography, as well as his accomplishments as governor that she "wants to replicate in her presidency—access to reproductive health, paid leave, child tax credits and gun safety," Politico's sources say. Other takes on the choice:

• The "nice" choice, but perhaps not the best. Nate Silver believes Harris didn't make the best choice. At Silver Bulletin, he writes that while Walz is a safe, inoffensive, and "nice" choice, Shapiro would have been a better pick because he "increases the likelihood you win Pennsylvania, he has a demonstrated track record of popularity in the most important swing state, he's obviously an extremely talented politician and perhaps a future standard-bearer for the party himself." Minnesota, he notes, is highly unlikely to be the "tipping point" state that decides the presidency.

• Broad appeal. Harris had some strong options from swing states, including Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, but she "instead went with someone from a somewhat competitive state who will ideally appeal more broadly to middle America," writes Aaron Blake at the Washington Post. Blake notes that other candidates could have had the same broad appeal, but "none of them demonstrated the kind of folksy appeal that Walz has in recent weeks."
• His previous career. Walz's potential appeal to Midwesterners includes his background as a military veteran and a hunter who has often spoken about his gun ownership, Katie Rogers writes at the New York Times. She says that according to a person close to the process, Walz's "previous career as a high school teacher and football coach also appealed to Ms. Harris, who has gained the support of the nation's teachers unions."
• The "cool dad." Farnoush Amiri at the AP writes that Walz, who went viral after calling Donald Trump and JD Vance "just weird" a few weeks ago, has been labeled the "cool dad" online and Democrats see him as an "effective messenger." "Walz's ability to speak in layman's terms about policy and politics coupled with his knowledge of the internet zeitgeist has helped propel the little-known politician to the national stage and on the 'For You' social media pages of millions of Gen Z voters whose support will be crucial for Democrats come November," he writes.

(More Tim Walz stories.)