Before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was a vice-presidential nominee and Democrats’ favorite Midwestern dad, he was a moderate House member who broke with his party and opposed the Great Recession’s auto industry bailout, which backers credit with saving as many as 1.5 million jobs.
So far, those nearly 16-year-old votes aren’t proving a hindrance to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in Michigan, home to nearly one-fifth of U.S. auto production, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. She’s held onto a roughly 2-point advantage in the RealClearPolitics polling average over former President Donald Trump in the must-win battleground state since before announcing Walz as her running mate.
While Walz has gone on to become a darling of labor unions and the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, he started out his political as a centrist voice representing a divided district. His transformation has included going from opposing government intervention to prop up the industry to joining striking United Auto Workers members on the picket line last year and establishing a progressive track record as Minnesota governor.
