Ground Game: A VP pick, Midwest interest, and Shapiro is passed over

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Plus, both tickets head to the Midwest, and some fans of Pennsylvania’s Shapiro are disappointed he wasn’t picked{beacon}

By Meg Kinnard

August 07, 2024 08:01:12 AM

By Meg Kinnard

August 07, 2024 08:01:12 AM

  

It’s only Wednesday and it’s been a whirlwind week for the presidential campaign, with Vice President Kamala Harris winning the Democratic presidential nomination in a virtual roll call, then hours later unveiling Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

Welcome to this special midweek edition of AP Ground Game.

 

THE HEADLINES

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

How Harris’ VP pick happened

Walz had two initial jump starts, the first largely unnoticed, the second underappreciated.

The first came earlier this year when the governor and the vice president visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul. That visit underscored shared values between the two, according to people familiar with Harris’ thinking. Key issues that resonated with Harris included Walz’s advocacy for in vitro fertilization and child tax credits – an idea Walz has used in Minnesota.

The next key moment came July 23, two days after Biden’s withdrawal, when Walz went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and uttered a dig at former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance that quickly went viral.

“These guys are just weird,” Walz said, in his signature conversational, informal matter.

Three people met Harris on Sunday: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Walz. According to people