Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate pick, will need to introduce himself to the vast majority of Americans. But his track record in his home state offers clues on what he might bring to the Democratic ticket.
In 2022, he won young voters in Minnesota, according to AP VoteCast, and he did well in the state’s union households, winning nearly 6 in 10 voters in that group. About half of Minnesota voters had a favorable view of Walz, and about 4 in 10 had a negative one.
And although he didn’t win among white voters without a college degree, he performed better among that group than Democrats nationwide. He won 44% of this group in Minnesota, compared to 32% among Democratic candidates nationally.
Harris is hoping Walz will strengthen the Democratic ticket in Midwestern states and among working class voters, despite his current lack of a national profile.
An ABC News/Ipsos survey conducted before Walz was selected for the VP slot, but after vetting began, showed that nearly 9 in 10 U.S. adults didn’t know enough about him, or had no opinion. Among Americans with a view, opinions were split between positive and negative: 6% had a favorable view, and 7% had an unfavorable one.
The other finalists for the role — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — were more familiar to Americans nationally, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July that asked the question slightly differently, although most didn’t know enough to have an opinion of them either.
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