Tim Walz – a man for the Midwest?

Tim Walz is set to run as the US Democrats' vice-candidate. He was a teacher and is considered someone who speaks the simple language of the people. But can he also win over conservative voters with this?

“Folksy” – in German, something like popular or sociable: This word is likely to overtake “weird” today and in the coming days as the most frequently cited term in the political world of the USA. Both have to do with Tim Walz, who will enter the battle for the White House as vice-candidate with the US Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Everyone who knows the governor of Minnesota seems to agree that he is “folksy”. Walz has repeatedly stressed in recent days that he is not running for anything. He is simply who he is. What one might consider to be coquetry in other politicians is easy to believe in Walz, who, like his boss Harris, was born in 1964.

With the piglet in my arms

Walz recently joked ahead of his appointment that he doesn't know if all high school geography teachers can imagine themselves in the position of being considered as a future vice president. He probably does, because being a geography teacher is just one of many jobs he has worked in over the years.

He has been a football coach, a soldier, a congressman and is currently the governor of Minnesota. Walz is someone who can hold a piglet in his arms at agricultural fairs and who can inspire young people in sports and in class.

Walz on Trump: “He spouts all kinds of rubbish”

He is someone who speaks in a simple, understandable language and has a sense of humor. This is also reflected in how persistently the label “weird” is now attached to Donald Trump by the US Republicans and his “running mate” JD Vance. “Have you ever seen the guy laugh?” asked Walz. Trump is really weird in that respect.

If he laughs at all, he laughs at others, never with others. “Just listen to him: he spouts every piece of nonsense that comes into his head. We pay him far too much attention!” Walz explained during the election campaign.

Harris speaks of “great partnership”

Harris must have been impressed by this. Because it's a completely new way of dealing with Trump: simply making fun of him. When she announced that she had chosen Walz, the presidential candidate wrote: “What impresses me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family. We will build a great partnership.”

In terms of their programs, the two long-standing Democrats are likely to be on the same page anyway: investing in children, taking climate change seriously, working with the states as true partners. These are Walz's three programmatic priorities.

Harris is certainly hoping that her new partner will be able to score points with more traditional, conservative voters in the American “heartland” – the Midwest. As one of their own, he is not politically extreme, knows people's lives from different perspectives and can win hearts with popular humor.

Hardly known beyond Minnesota

That's the calculation. However, Walz is hardly known beyond the borders of Minnesota: changing that will be one of the most important tasks in the coming weeks. It begins with a joint campaign event in the important swing state of Pennsylvania. That is the home of Josh Shapiro, who until recently had also hoped to get the job alongside Harris.