{"id":2320091,"date":"2024-08-06T15:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T19:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-walz-why-harris-is-betting-on-a-bigger-map-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-06T15:34:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T19:34:10","slug":"blue-walz-why-harris-is-betting-on-a-bigger-map-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blue-walz-why-harris-is-betting-on-a-bigger-map-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Walz: Why Harris is betting on a bigger map &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblue-walz-why-harris-is-betting-on-a-bigger-map-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2320091&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vice President Kamala Harris is strategically aiming to broaden her\u200c electoral appeal by selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, moving\u200c beyond\u200d the traditional Democratic &#8220;blue wall.&#8221; \u200cThis decision marks\u200c a shift as Harris seeks to contest states in the\u2063 Sunbelt,\u200d such as Georgia and Arizona, rather than solely \u200dfocusing on the Rust\u2064 Belt, where she plans\u2064 to \u2062counter both Former President Trump and Republican Senate\u2063 candidate J.D. Vance.<\/p>\n<p>Despite selecting Walz, who \u2064may help engage white suburban voters crucial to the Democratic base, concerns\u200b remain about his vulnerabilities on \u200dcultural \u200bissues \u2064and whether he can effectively attract the working-class demographic away\u200c from Vance. Harris has been underperforming with\u2064 black and\u2063 Hispanic communities, a gap Walz is expected to help bridge. <\/p>\n<p>The Biden-Harris campaign&#8217;s hope hinges on \u200cexpanding the electoral \u200cmap so that \u200closing\u200d battleground states\u200c like\u2064 Pennsylvania would not be detrimental. However, the decision has\u200d faced\u200c scrutiny, especially \u200dregarding why she chose Walz over Pennsylvania\u2063 Governor Josh Shapiro, who might have fortified Democratic chances in that\u2063 vital state. Critics\u2063 argue\u2064 that Harris&#8217;s\u2064 choice could alienate progressive voters, \u200dfurther complicating her campaign.<\/p>\n<p>the \u2064decision could be pivotal for Harris&#8217;s presidential aspirations, depending \u2062on the effectiveness of her \u200band Walz&#8217;s outreach in a \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-senate-majority-may-come-down-to-11-battleground-races\/\" title=\"Analysis: Senate Majority May Come Down to 11 Battleground Races\">highly competitive political landscape<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Blue Walz: Why Harris is betting on a bigger map<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1724370\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> is signaling her intention to move beyond the &ldquo;blue wall&rdquo; in her path to the presidency by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3102857\/kamala-harris-tim-walz-vice-presidential-pick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>picking<\/a> Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-walz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN) as her running mate.<\/p>\n<p>Harris bypassed the governors of more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/midterm-elections-2022-here-are-the-issues-georgia-voters-care-about-the-most\/\" title=\"Midterm elections 2022: Here are the issues Georgia voters care about the most\">competitive battleground states<\/a>, especially Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/josh-shapiro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Josh Shapiro <\/a>(D-PA), when she selected Walz on Tuesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the Harris campaign is hoping to put the Sunbelt back into contention rather than merely fighting former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> and Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>J.D. Vance<\/a> (R-OH) in the Rust Belt.<\/p>\n<p>Harris held the biggest rally of her young presidential campaign in Atlanta, part of her bid to put Georgia back into play for Democrats. Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada are no longer being left for dead or red.<\/p>\n<p>The hope is that Walz can help Harris turn out white suburban voters in these battleground states. These voters were the key to President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> winning the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a> in 2020. The most recent CBS News poll showed Harris still underperforming with black and Hispanic voters, though she improved on Biden&rsquo;s numbers with the former voting bloc, but Trump is winning an anemic 55% of white voters nationally.<\/p>\n<p>Walz will also be called upon to blunt Vance&rsquo;s populist appeal, pitching economic progressivism as a solution to working-class voters&rsquo; bread-and-butter concerns. This is the role former Rep. Tim Ryan played in his surprisingly competitive Ohio Senate race against Vance in 2022. But Walz is highly vulnerable on cultural issues and may be better suited to suburban voter mobilization.<\/p>\n<p>Biden was pinning virtually all his hopes on Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He was also trailing in all three states. The Sunbelt looked like it was lost to Trump even before Biden&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine-features\/3068833\/bidens-post-debate-collapse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>disastrous June 27 debate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Since taking over the top spot on the Democratic ticket, Harris has pulled even with Trump in the battleground states. She is up by 0.2 points in the national <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average<\/a>. She is trying to expand the electoral map so a loss in Pennsylvania is not fatal.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s risky. Walz&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3112113\/harris-walz-most-radical-ticket-american-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>record<\/a> on the George Floyd riots and illegal immigration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3111929\/walz-signed-law-allowing-abortion-any-stage-defunded-crisis-pregnancy-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>among other issues<\/a>, ties in nicely with Harris&rsquo;s existing vulnerabilities. Minnesota was becoming competitive in the Biden-Trump race, but now appears less so and hasn&rsquo;t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon&rsquo;s 49-state landslide in 1972. If Trump holds on to his leads in the swing states, Harris&rsquo;s minuscule edge in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-set-to-speak-at-cpac\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. to address CPAC.\">national polling averages<\/a> is meaningless.<\/p>\n<p>Many are already second-guessing Harris&rsquo;s decision to choose Walz over Shapiro, who might have taken Pennsylvania off the table for Republicans. Shapiro is Jewish and at odds with progressives over Israel, possibly making the Harris camp fear it would merely be trading Michigan for Pennsylvania. Critics charge the vice president with catering to the Hamas sympathizers within her party&rsquo;s ranks.<\/p>\n<p>There have been multiple reports that Shapiro seemed too ambitious in his own right and might upstage Harris. He is still in his first term as governor and might be well-positioned to run for president himself in 2028 if Harris loses. Harris and Walz appeared to have better personal chemistry, possibly a decisive factor for a Democratic nominee who made the pick as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/graham-if-democrats-call-witnesses-at-trial-we-will-call-democrats-thatve-used-inflammatory-language\/\" title=\"Graham: If Democrats Call Witnesses At Trial We Will Call Democrats That\u2019ve Used Inflammatory Language\">sitting vice president<\/a> herself.<\/p>\n<p>In any event, Republican strategists are relieved to be facing Walz on the Democratic ticket alongside Harris rather than Shapiro.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate &ndash; Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,&rdquo; Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. &ldquo;While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is &lsquo;mostly cows and rocks.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When it came to the veepstakes, both major party nominees doubled down. Trump bet that the Rust Belt voters who put him in the White House in 2016 could do so again and that Vance could reach the working class. Harris is similarly betting on the suburbanites to elect her as they did Biden, intending to use Walz to seal the deal.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Both running mates could have their uses as governing partners in a Trump or Harris administration. But their respective tickets have to win first.<\/p>\n<p>Time will tell whether Harris made a bold choice or a misstep in the tradition of Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s absence from Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1724370\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1724370\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Kamala Harris is indicating her desire to expand her electoral strategy beyond the traditional &#8220;blue wall&#8221; by choosing Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate. In making this decision, she overlooked governors from more competitive swing states, notably Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA). The Harris campaign aims to reintroduce the Sunbelt into play rather than solely focusing on contesting former President Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) in the Rust Belt. Recently, Harris held a significant rally in Atlanta as part of her efforts to make Georgia a viable target for Democrats again. States like Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada are also being reconsidered rather than written off as lost causes. The campaign hopes that Walz can help mobilize white suburban voters in these crucial battlegrounds\u2014voters who were instrumental in President Joe Biden&#8217;s 2020 victory.<\/p>\n<p>Despite some improvement among Black voters compared to Biden&#8217;s performance, recent CBS News polling indicates that Harris still struggles with both Black and Hispanic demographics while Trump maintains a weak 55% support among white voters nationally. Walz is expected to counter Vance\u2019s populist appeal by promoting economic progressivism aimed at addressing working-class concerns\u2014a role similar to what former Rep. Tim Ryan played during his competitive Ohio Senate race against Vance in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>However, Walz faces challenges regarding cultural issues and may be more effective at engaging suburban voters instead of broader working-class outreach. While Biden focused heavily on Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin\u2014where he was trailing\u2014Harris has managed to level the playing field against Trump in key battlegrounds since taking over the Democratic ticket; she currently holds a slight edge of 0.2 points nationally according to RealClearPolitics polling averages.<\/p>\n<p>Harris aims for an expanded electoral map so that losing Pennsylvania wouldn\u2019t be catastrophic for her campaign\u2014a risky strategy given Walz\u2019s controversial record on issues like the George Floyd protests and immigration which could amplify Harris&#8217;s existing vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota had been trending competitive between Biden and Trump but seems less so now; it hasn&#8217;t voted Republican for president since Nixon&#8217;s landslide victory in 1972. If Trump maintains his leads across swing states, even a narrow national polling advantage for Harris would hold little significance.<\/p>\n<p>Some analysts are questioning why Harris chose Walz over Shapiro who might have solidified Pennsylvania for Democrats; Shapiro\u2019s Jewish background has created tensions with progressives regarding Israel policy which could lead some within the party to view this choice as merely swapping one state challenge for another without real gains.<\/p>\n<p>Critics accuse Harris of catering too much to pro-Hamas sentiments within her party while there are concerns about Shapiro potentially overshadowing her due to his own ambitions\u2014he is still early into his governorship but may eye a presidential run himself if things don\u2019t go well for Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, both candidates seem better aligned personally which could be crucial given that she made this selection while serving as vice president herself. Republican strategists express relief at facing Walz instead of Shapiro on the Democratic ticket; Trump&#8217;s campaign spokesperson criticized their partnership by suggesting it reflects an attempt by liberal figures like them trying reshape middle America based on West Coast ideals.<\/p>\n<p>In summary: Both major party nominees have doubled down on their strategies\u2014Trump believes Rust Belt voters will support him again through Vance while similarly hoping suburbanites will back Biden through Walz\u2019s influence.<br \/>\nThe effectiveness of these choices remains uncertain until after elections unfold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2320092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/kamala_harris_map.webp.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37359,4021,32504],"class_list":["post-2320091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-blue-walz","tag-harris","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/kamala_harris_map.webp.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2320091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2320092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2320091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2320091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2320091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}