Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Walz pick excites voters in campus neighborhoods
Walz pick excites voters in campus neighborhoods
After Kamala Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate, people in nearby campus communities said they were excited about Minnesota’s increased profile.
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Story by the Hubbard Reporting Experience staff
AUGUST 6, 2024 / Residents of nearby campus communities who spoke to the Hubbard Reporting Experience on Tuesday said they were excited Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
No surprise: In the 2022 gubernatorial election, Walz received more than 90% of the vote in campus communities, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
In the 2020 presidential election, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, received more than 90% of the vote in those same communities, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
But what do they think about the VP pick?
“He’s kind of a hometown hero,” said Anna Freyberg, a 26-year-old grad student from Mankato who attended the high school Walz taught. “And I’ve met him a couple times. And he seems like a really great guy.”
Residents of Cedar-Riverside, Como, Dinkytown, Marcy-Holmes, Stadium Village and Prospect Park said they wanted to see Walz’s liberal policies, some of which he enacted in-state, enter the broader discussion as national attention focuses on Minnesota. They felt like Walz’s background as a teacher made him a down-to-earth communicator who can showcase the best qualities the Midwest has to offer.
Donnarae Stevens
PHOTO BY RACHEL HOPPE
Donnarae Stevens, a 65-year-old resident of Dinkytown, said she wasn’t sure Harris would be able to win in the 2024 election, but described the selection of Walz as “cool.”
She said she thinks Walz will have a positive impact on the country because she sees Minnesota as a leader on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and family issues. In May 2024, Walz signed a bill creating state-funded paid family and medical leave to all Minnesotans, according to CBS News.
“I think she made the right decision,” Stevens said.
Alex Nelson
PHOTO BY HENRY STAFFORD
Alex Nelson, 20, a third-year history major from the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, said he likes Walz’s political substance and style.
"I am excited because I think he's a politician with a really great track record for progressive policies, but isn't alienating with how he gets them done," Nelson said.
Nelson acknowledged Walz carries potential downsides. Walz’s reactions to many protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder were regarded by some people as controversial, he said.
Many criticized Walz for not deploying National Guard troops earlier when the protests started, according to the New York Times.
But overall, Walz was the least controversial of all potential picks, Nelson said.
“I think it's a pretty smart pick from a presidential election standpoint, because the other candidates all had, like, one serious issue associated with them, and Walz was the one who was kind of the best-rounded," Nelson said.
Dulce Garcia
PHOTO BY LEA WITTMAN
Dulce Garcia, a 21-year-old university graduate and Dinkytown resident, was excited about Walz.
“I really feel a lot of hope,” she said, noting she is particularly optimistic about how Walz has defended Harris and responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
In January 2023, Minnesota became the first state following Roe’s reversal to codify abortion protections due to a bill signed by Walz, according to AP News.
Garcia planned to vote in 2024, and said Walz’s nomination made her more likely to vote.
“I feel like he’s really active in representing what a lot of Minnesotans want,” Garcia said.
Colin Elwell
PHOTO BY RACHEL HOPPE
Colin Elwell, a 26-year-old worker at the University of Minnesota medical center, hopes Walz will bring Minnesota’s liberal policies to a national stage.
“I appreciate his progressive stances,” he said. “Like, what he’s accomplished in Minnesota with free child health care, legalizing marijuana, a lot of stuff in terms of workers rights, the codifying (abortion), paid leave into law.”
Elwell expressed some concern Walz might lack a national profile and the country as a whole might consider him too left-leaning. But the selection is good for Minnesota because it showcases the state’s successes under Walz, he said.
“It shows that if we can do it here, we can do it across the country,” Elwell said.
Reporters Lea Wittman, Evan Pederson, Josie Wise, Rachel Hoppe and Henry Stafford contributed reporting.
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