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- Now that Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' running mate, he will be thrust into the national limelight.
- A recent poll showed that most Americans are unfamiliar with Walz.
- That means both Republicans and Democrats are in a race to define him.
Only a few weeks ago, most people outside Minnesota, other than some political nerds, knew little, if anything, about Gov. Tim Walz.
Despite a brief flurry of media attention and some viral moments, a national NPR/PBS/Marist poll released Tuesday — before Vice President Harris announced him as her running mate — showed that most Americans were unfamiliar with the governor.
According to the poll of 1,613 adults, 71% of those surveyed, said they'd never heard of Walz or had no opinion of him. That means Republicans and Democrats both have an opportunity to define the vice presidential candidate for those who have yet to form an opinion.
If Harris and Walz's first rally is anything to go by, the Democrats will want voters to see him as "Coach Walz" — a down-to-earth former public school teacher, football coach, and veteran who champions the middle class and boasts a progressive record.
The GOP and former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, will seek to portray him as a radical, dangerous, and far-left liberal who mishandled the unrest following George Floyd's murder.
With just three months until the election, both parties are working swiftly to define Walz in a way that supports their broader electoral strategies, Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics at Catawba College, said in an email to Business Insider.
"It's all about making the vice president candidate be the most extreme version of what they want the presidential candidate to be," he said. "The Republicans are already hitting Harris-Walz as 'the most radical liberal' ticket in history, which is an over-exaggeration in comparative historical terms, but it's the GOP's job to make Democrats seem extreme and out of touch."
Not everyone is convinced this tactic will work.
"In the early rush to define Tim Walz, it seems the GOP is somewhat flat-footed," John J. Kennedy, a politics professor at West Chester University, told BI. "It appears they were preparing for Gov. Josh Shapiro to be the VP pick."
The Democrats are presenting Walz in ways that appeal to both the party's base and undecided voters.
"Walz's 'everyman' persona and communicating talent make him potentially a substantial asset for Vice President Harris in connecting with voters who may be straying from Democratic tickets and sounding Democratic campaign themes," Joel Goldstein, a professor who has written books on the vice presidency, told BI.
Goldstein also noted that the timing of the announcement could give Democrats an edge to frame Walz positively, especially compared to Trump's rocky rollout of his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
"Whereas Trump's odd decision to delay his running mate announcement until the convention and his aversion to sharing the limelight denied Vance a typical rollout, Harris and Walz are embarked on a joint tour of swing states, which began with an effective rally in Philadelphia," Goldstein said.
He said these events may give the Democrats an opportunity to grant Walz broad exposure, showcase a positive dynamic between him and Harris, and present "useful clips with images and soundbites that introduce Gov. Walz favorably."
The Democrats will be hoping that their rollout goes smoother than Vance's, which broke polling records in the worst way.
Paul Brace, a political science professor at Rice University, said he thinks that as things stand, the Democrats are already ahead in the VP battle.
"Walz presents as the neighbor who will help you fix your lawnmower," he said. "Vance presents as the relative who ruins Thanksgiving."
Brace added: "I am not saying these are permanent characterizations, but in my estimate, Walz is playing from strength, Vance is in a hole."