Tim Walz for Vice President!

He's the guy behind the 'weird' campaign

Kamala Harris is in an unusually enviable position when it comes to choosing her running mate — she’s got what’s we call an abundance of riches. There are seven or eight potential picks for Vice President that are all absolutely great. The choice ultimately will probably come down to who is the best for the ticket and who can deliver the most votes, particularly in those crucial Rust Belt states.

I have heard — and I don’t know how true it is — that the choice has been narrowed to three potential picks: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

I think either of the three is a great pick, though each has downsides. Kelly checks a whole lot of boxes—and is an astronaut—but delivering Arizona isn’t as important as delivering a Rust Belt state. He is the safe pick. No one is going to be disappointed in that choice, but I don’t think he’s going to be able to maintain the online momentum that Harris has built.

I love Josh Shapiro. He’s incredibly popular in Pennsylvania and could, without a doubt, deliver that state for Harris. But he’s Jewish. That’s a plus for me, and I appreciate that he says all the right things about Israel, namely that it’s not OK to equate being Jewish to supporting Netanyahu’s right-wing government. Unfortunately, by virtue of being Jewish, he calls a lot of attention to a subject where the party doesn’t always agree — there are a number of online progressives and columnists who have already written critically of him, and he’s probably not the right person when the party — the entire party — needs to unite.

Then there is the least-known of the candidates, Tim Walz. I’d never heard of the guy two weeks ago, but he’s quickly become not just my favorite VP choice but also my favorite guy to see on TV. He’s the guy who started the whole “their weird” talking point in reference to Donald Trump and JD Vance, and it has been wildly effective in highlighting how out of step their politics are with the mainstream. And also, they’re just weird.

But more than that, Walz represents the Democratic party I want to see: He’s a former teacher, he served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, he’s worked in agriculture and manufacturing, and he’s a big old lefty. He was the faculty advisor for the gay-straight alliance at a tiny Minnesota high school in 1999! He’s pro-union and, as governor, has made school breakfasts and lunch free for every student in the state, provided free college for low-income Minnesotans, expanded LGBTQ protections, and passed background checks on guns. He’s a liberal, but he’s not shy about it: He makes liberal positions sounds like they should: Decent, humane, and cool.

He’s also got a serious midwestern Dad thing going on, and as my colleague Andrew Sanford notes, he’s got that “Character Actor You’re Always Happy To See” vibe! He really does! A lot of folks in our Slack are all in on him, and even our Brit teacher, Hannah, nails it: “He seems like the kind of teacher who calls the kids chief or sir or something, maybe yelled once years ago, and doesn’t need to again because no-one could bear to disappoint him. And he would also be the one who dressed as Santa every year.”

Yes. It almost feels like both sides of the Pajiba political spectrum love him. Mike even wants to make t-shirts: “Ballz to the Walz.”

For those who haven’t seen a lot of him, here’s a good clip of him speaking to Jake Tapper. I love this guy:

Here’s another. Tell me this guy isn’t perfect.

And for those wondering if he’s too old? He’s only a year older than Harris and, as others have noted, he’s younger than Brad Pitt.