At least one local political expert believes Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has the edge in being named the vice presidential candidate to run with Kamala Harris.
University of Minnesota Political Science professor Larry Jacobs says Walz brings a lot to the table.
"I'm hearing that Governor Walz is moving up in the sweepstakes of Kamala Harris's vice president selection," Jacobs said Monday. "He's gotten a lot of attention. We know that he's being vetted by the Harris campaign and getting a huge amount of national attention."
Walz appeared on several national TV outlets over the last week and has been outspoken in his criticism of former President Donald Trump and his pick for vice president, JD Vance of Ohio.
Walz attempted to explained on national television why he thinks former President Donald Trump is weird and continues to use that term to describe him.
"Listen to the guy. He's talking about Hannibal Lecter and you know, shocking sharks and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind," Walz said on the CNN program State of the Union. "Have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me that an adult can go through six and a half years of being in the public eye. If he has laughed it's at someone, not with someone. That is weird behavior and I don't think you call it anything else. It is simply what we're observing."
Jacobs says he expects the decision to be made this week.
Over the last seven days, a week unlike any other in American history, the 2024 presidential contest has been transformed. And now, just under 100 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape featuring new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties.
Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in for Biden last Sunday and quickly smashed fundraising records, took over social media and generated levels of excitement that some Democrats said reminded them of the energy that surrounded Barack Obama’s historic candidacy nearly two decades ago.
TRUMP-VANCE STUMP IN MINNESOTA
While Harris has yet to select a running mate, Trump has chosen Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio. The two of them made an appearance in Minnesota this past Saturday, dropping the magnanimous tone he briefly took on following the assassination attempt prior to the Republican National Convention.
“They all say, ‘I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed since two weeks ago. Something affected him,’” Trump told a massive crowd Saturday night in Minnesota. “No, I haven’t changed. Maybe I’ve gotten worse, because I get angry at the incompetence that I witness every single day.”
For now, the Republican former president and his supporters have adopted a kitchen-sink strategy as they figure out which attacks are most effective against their new Democratic opponent.
Some conservatives, especially in the pro-Trump MAGA wing of the party, are calling Harris a “DEI candidate,” referencing “diversity, equity and inclusion” to suggest Democrats only embraced her as the likely nominee because of her gender and race. House leaders on Capitol Hill have discouraged such criticism, which is largely seen as racist and sexist, but the MAGA movement has not relented.
In Minnesota over the weekend, Trump and Vance described Harris as a “radical left lunatic,” who wants to de-fund the police, destroy the American dream, allow immigrants in the country illegally to vote and ban fracking. Harris’ team pushed back against the attacks.
Trump also devoted a substantial amount of his remarks to Biden, seemingly struggling to move on from the opponent he has been fixated on since losing the 2020 election.
Voters who packed into the Minnesota rally were largely upbeat about Trump’s chances this fall — even in their state, which Republicans have lost in every presidential election since 1976. Sensing a shift, however, some questioned whether Harris at the top of the ticket might make the race closer.
“That makes me a little nervous,” said Jim Caldwell, a 59-year-old truck driver who lives in a city about 40 minutes away from St. Cloud. He pointed to the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy that “might bring out more people.”
“People are going to want the first woman,” he said. “I don’t think she’s the one.”
John Jose, a 56-year-old associate pastor from St. Cloud, said he was optimistic, especially because of the upheaval on the Democratic side. He also described the last week or two as “dramatic.”
“I think we need stability right now,” Jose said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.