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Senator Mark Kelly and Governor Tim Walz were both in the running to become Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, making them somewhat rivals for a short time. Senators are often incredibly deferential to each other even if they are in other parties.
Both of these things should have moderated Kelly’s response in normal times. But Kelly, wearing a Navy ballcap outside the Democratic National Convention’s veterans’ caucus, did not bother to contain his disgust when asked about Senator JD Vance’s attacks on Walz.
“It’s ridiculous — he [Walz] served 24 years in the United States Army and the National Guard,” Kelly told The Independent. “As a fellow veteran — JD Vance served in the Marine Corps — I have total respect for his service in the military, and JD Vance should respect Tim Walz's honorable service in the Army and National Guard.”
Throughout the Democratic National Convention, Walz has become a breakout star. Democrats have celebrated the fact that even as a congressman from a red district, he supported gay rights going back to his days as a teacher.
Chicago Bulls legend and gold medal-winning Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr spoke to him “coach to coach.” Walz has also visited the AAPI caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus meetings at the DNC, while his wife Gwen visited the disability caucus meeting on Tuesday. Polling shows him outpacing Vance.
But perhaps his strongest base of support is in the House of Representatives, where he served from 2007 until 2019, when he became governor. That in and of itself is remarkable, given how divided the House Democratic caucus is.
“We enjoyed the fact that he came from a very tough district, worked really hard to achieve it, and then dove into the work of understanding how to move forward with all the caucus members,” Betty McCollum told The Independent.
Despite the fact they are both Minnesotans, McCollum’s district is much more urban and includes St Paul, one of the Twin Cities. As a result, it leans much more progressive.
Yet Walz continued to take tough votes — such as when he voted for Obamacare in 2010 and won re-election by only 13,123 votes that same year.
“He got himself on committees in which he was effective, in which he moved our caucus forward to keep us working on making sure that we deliver for everyday people,” McCollum added.
“He's a really funny guy, he's just a riot in the pre-January 6 sense of the word,” Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland told The Independent. And if there were ever any debates going on in the caucus, Tim Walz would get up and make everybody laugh and show people a common sense path forward. So he's got that high school football coach, high school teacher, way of being extremely practical and bringing everybody together.”
Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a Marine Corps veteran, said he bonded with Walz over their shared service.
“I didn't know where he where he came from, or what district he represented, but I was introduced to him as someone I should get to know because he's a veteran, someone who understands what service is all about, and understands what it means to serve for the country and not for yourself,” he told The Independent.
Moulton, who served in Iraq and earned the Bronze Star for his heroism, was also horrified by Vance’s attacks on Walz’s military service, comparing them to the Swiftboat ads Republicans ran against John Kerry. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s current senior campaign adviser, was the mastermind of those ads.
Moulton noted that veterans in the House have a shared solidarity. “I've never seen a Republican veteran in the house attack Tim Walz’s service,” he said.
Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who served one term in the House with Walz,
Members of the House are likely effusive with praise for Walz not just because they like him, but because they like the idea of finally having a voice in the White House. Neither President Joe Biden nor Harris had any House experience and therefore didn’t understand the precarious position many House members face in election years.
“I’ll tell you, the House is really excited about the Harris-Walz ticket,” McCollum told The Independent.
Representative Lois Frankel of Florida, who represents Trump’s district of Mar-a-Lago, also said she had worked with Walz in the House before.
“We did a veterans bill together — veterans’ education, to set up these sort of opportunities for veterans transitioning from the military into college life,” she told The Independent.
Representative Jennifer McClellan noted that having a good relationship with the House will be necessary for a potential Harris administration if she is to be successful in the White House.
“I think the House is going to be critically important to the president being able to get her agenda in place, but also people need to remember who it is that certifies the election,” McClellan said. “It’s the House.”
Meanwhile, a Republican pollster Frank Luntz said he believes Walz offers Harris a boost that could get her over the line for the election.
“Waltz has a friendlier demeanor, and he's riding the same way that Harris is riding,” he told The Independent. “It's like science: things in motion tend to stay in motion. Things at rest tend to stay at rest. Then she'll continue to gain through the convention. I think she’s got a pretty good shot at winning.”
