Washington — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, president of the Democratic Governors Association, said Vice President Kamala Harris running mate is “the epitome of the Midwestern father,” profiled as an asset on the ticket heading into November’s election.
“You could put him at any state fair, on any main street, and certainly at any Friday night football game in rural Kansas, and he would fit right in,” Kelly said of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” Sunday.
Harris chose Walz, a popular two-term governor, as his running mate last week, ahead of the two campaigned together across seven battleground states in the days that followed. Waltz, 60, is a former high school social studies teacher, coach, congressman and veteran. The choice has won praise across broad swaths of the Democratic Party, with newfound energy around the ticket following President Biden’s decision to step aside.
When asked if Walz’s ability to speak to the nation’s heartland and rural America has been overrated, Kelly made it clear she believes it hasn’t been.
“I think we also have to remember that even though Minnesota is a blue state, he represented in Congress for 12 years a very red part of Minnesota,” Kelly noted, adding that “he understands rural Minnesota, he understands rural America , and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s a great asset to the Harris-Walz team.”
Kelly, a two-term Democratic governor in a red state, outlined how the party can focus on wooing rural America, where some demographics that used to align with Democrats have seen declining support in recent years. She said it’s about listening to constituents and producing for them.
“While we label everyone red or blue, the thing is here in Kansas, we’re Kansans,” Kelly said. “If you’re a Democrat, but you share the values of most Kansans, you just have to come out, talk to them, get them to know you, you to know them, and then they’ll develop that trust and put it in you to rule the state.”