What Picking Walz Says about Kamala's Campaign

Kamala Harris surprised many on Tuesday by choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate over the widely favored Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro has long been considered the top contender. It was expected she would pick a Democrat from a battleground state who could help her expand the map. Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) arguably fit that bill the best. However, when it was revealed that Kelly was no longer in contention, it became obvious to me that Shapiro wasn’t likely to be picked either.

There was another factor that made Walz an easier choice as well. The looming recession, combined with Trump’s advantage in handling the economy, will be almost impossible for the Democratic ticket to overcome.

“We cannot win if people think we’re headed into a recession,” William Owen, a member of the Democratic National Committee, told Politico.

I honestly wouldn’t be shocked to find that Shapiro, a popular first-term governor in a swing state with a reputation for being moderate, may have seen more risk than reward after Monday’s stock market collapse. Walz, from a secure blue state, faces less political damage by joining a doomed Harris ticket.

But perhaps the biggest thing Kamala’s selection of Walz signals is that the Democratic Party isn’t nearly as united as we’re being led to believe. While Sen. Mark Kelly and Shapiro were strong battleground contenders, both faced pushback from progressives. Walz, a leftist from a blue state, helps secure the party base—which is exactly the opposite of what conventional wisdom said Kamala was looking to achieve with her running mate selection.

Choosing Walz was also likely an acknowledgement of Kamala’s own shortcomings. With global tensions rising, including a major war in the Middle East that involves Iran, Harris needed an experienced running mate. Walz, with 12 years in the House and two terms as governor, brings far more experience to the ticket than even Kamala brings.

In the end, I think it’s clear that Kamala’s choice of Walz signals that the Harris campaign has a lot more problems than it is publicly acknowledging.