In the three weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris selected “regular Joe” Tim Walz as her running mate, the GOP is still struggling to find the right words to counter the choice.
A common political tactic is showing why the other candidate is the wrong choice. When two major parties hold conflicting views on almost every matter, it’s usually an easy task. Donald Trump has rallied Republicans with his personal jabs against the Democrats on social media and from the podium.
Tim Walz now wields the Trump playbook, turning the tables on Republicans in this election cycle. The strategy that once served the GOP now threatens to undermine their efforts as Walz adapts and deploys the familiar tactics against the party.
With Trump trailing in the polls, the GOP has a problem. They must quickly find a way to campaign against someone who, in many ways, feels like one of their own.
The Guy Next Door
Walz’s relatability seems to be the GOP's greatest challenge. The 60-year-old married father of two doesn’t come across as a polished politician but as a neighbor who happens to be in public service.
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Using John Mellencamp’s "Small Town” as his walk-up song at the Democratic National Convention shows Walz’s appeal as a VP pick.
Born and raised in small-town Nebraska, Walz later moved to rural Minnesota to raise his family. Walz embodies the everyman with a wife, two kids, and an adopted Black Lab mix named Scout. Nothing undercuts an Ivy League Republican ticket quite like a former Midwestern high school teacher.
“He’s relatable to everyday people with everyday lives,” said Stephanie Pawlyshyn Yaeger, a senior investment banker and lifelong Minnesotan. “He's the guy you borrow tools from. He's the guy that helps you shovel your walk. He's the guy that brings up your trash cans from the end of your driveway when you’re on vacation. He's that guy.”
That guy is the problem for the GOP because he embodies many of the qualities found in its own party members.
Making a Good Entrance
Walz first captured the zeitgeist by appearing alongside Harris at their first rally in Philadelphia. The man behind the viral attack line calling Trump and the Republicans “just weird” complemented Harris’ own successful social media efforts.
Within 24 hours of their first appearance, the Harris campaign saw a $36 million boost to its already record-breaking contributions. This donor surge came just weeks after President Biden stepped down.
J.D. Vance, the Republican VP pick, had buzz as well, but thanks to Walz, it’s not the kind that helps a presidential ticket. Walz got the ball rolling by dropping an unscripted anecdote at that first rally. He talked about a rumor involving Vance and a sofa that had recently resurfaced on social media.
But, it was the infamous “childless cat ladies” line that sparked public rebuke, including from Jennifer Aniston. Even though the line was three years old, Vance has been doing damage control as recently as this week.
A Winning Coach
At the convention, the Democrats pushed a messaging point. It was the use of the moniker “Coach Walz.” The former high school teacher in rural Mankato, Minnesota, has two winning entries in his bio: he beat a Republican in a heavily Republican district in a past congressional race and he has a state championship as a coach. Trump’s post on Truth Social labeled Walz as an assistant coach, but it failed to resonate.
As the moderator of the first 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election, Blois Olson has seen how effective Walz can be in a debate. He is a long-time Minnesota political strategist and WCCO AM radio host. “He can go into a small town, he can go into a rural area and talk about issues. He can talk about agriculture. He can talk hunting,” Olson said.
In other words, he can talk to both Democrats and Republicans. That’s a winning combo for any candidate.
The Politician Who’s Hard to Pin Down
Walz’s relatability doesn’t end in a neighbor’s driveway. He also resonates with many Republican issues and values. He served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years. He earned the rank of command sergeant major, the highest rank for an enlisted soldier.
Voters from all sides value Walz's down-to-earth, plain-spoken, family-oriented nature.
“He’s the real deal,” said Nora Slawik, the former Metropolitan Council chair appointed by Governor Walz. As a seven-term state senator, Slawik campaigned with Walz in 2018. This gave her insight into how Walz connected with voters. “Governor Walz has a way of being very strategic while being folksy at the same time,” remarked Slawik. “He’s a good communicator and is very relatable to people in Minnesota from all walks of life. People like him.”
As a former suburban mayor, Slawik knows the need to connect with voters. “The likeability factor equates to electability in Minnesota and other places.”
The Art of the Quip
Walz is good at delivering sharp quips. He uses them well in media interviews and at campaign rallies. With a new TikTok account boasting 1.3 million followers, Walz could be the next social media darling.
“You are seeing the best of Tim Walz on the national stage right now,” remarked Olson during a recent appearance on C-SPAN. “He’s a skilled political communicator. He’s very ‘aw, shucks,’ down to earth, and very accessible.”
Trump mastered the Twitter quip. But, since being kicked off the platform, his voice is mostly silenced. Since Trump’s return to the Elon Musk-owned platform (now X), his quips aren’t getting the same pull.
While humor can draw attention to a candidate, it can backfire if it’s too edgy or mean. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter mocked Walz's son Gus for getting emotional during his father’s speech at the DNC. Social media embraced Walz’s son, but online users heavily criticized Coulter.
Although Coulter’s post was deleted, the backlash still lingers.
A 2017 study found that humor that belittles can rally like-minded voters around a candidate. But, it can also cause short-term distrust.
Given the unpredictability of how a social media quip will be received, this approach can be risky for Republicans with just ten weeks remaining until the election.
How Republicans Can Crack the Walz Code
Overcoming a messaging challenge can be as simple as drawing someone into the fray. Speaking off the teleprompter can help connect with voters. A strategy Trump has relied on since his first campaign. However, unscripted remarks can be a double-edged sword. These off-the-cuff moments reveal the true nature of a candidate but can also backfire if provoked. Reports suggest that Walz can be thin-skinned. If true, this attribute might leave him vulnerable in a debate.
There's no quicker way to expose a crack in the "Minnesota nice" persona.
Olson publishes a newsletter on Minnesota politics and has covered Walz since his political career began. Now that Walz has risen to the national stage, Olson notes that “managing his image is crucial.”
For example, Walz faced intense backlash for his George Floyd protest response in 2020. A former Minnesota state senator said the governor "froze" during the unrest, showing ineffectiveness in a crisis.
The Trump campaign has mostly avoided the topic since Trump praised Walz. But, the governor’s crisis response could be a weak point.
What’s Next?
Voters will learn more about the Republicans’ Walz problem in a vice-presidential debate on October 1 in New York City.
The debate may not be a clear winner. But, we will see if the Republicans find a winning line that sticks.
