I predicted a Harris-Walz ticket a year ago. Here’s why

The wait is over. Vice President Kamala Harris has finally picked her running mate in Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Walz has become a favorite of online progressives recently, largely because of his “weird” attacks on Republicans. But there are also solid policy reasons why Walz is beloved of the left wing of the party. He went from a pro-gun rural Democrat in Congress to a governor who has signed legislation that protects abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights, enacted background checks on guns, and expanded free school meals regardless of income.

Back in August 2023, I tweeted: “Walz would be a strong choice for Harris if she were to be the nominee”.

Almost a year later, after Biden’s debacle of a debate performance, just as Walz and other Democratic governors did a stakeout in front of the White House, I suggested him as a potential running mate for Harris if Biden dropped out. “Veteran, longtime congressman from rural Minnesota. Popular governor who has passed major pieces of progressive legislation,” is how I summarized my reasons why.

I can’t say I have a perfect predictive streak by any means, since I briefly suggested last month that North Carolina Roy Cooper would be Harris’s running mate before he took himself out of the running. But there’s a reason Walz — especially when paired with Harris — has been on my mind for a year.

Ahead of the first Republican presidential primary, I saw Walz on Meet the Press.

“That’s a pretty weird group of folks that’s going to be on the debate stage,” Walz said then. It was a preview of his now common refrain that Republicans are weird, and it landed well.

That’s a smaller reason, though. We have to bear in mind that 2024 is, as people smarter than I have said, a “vibes election.”