Politicians and voters react to Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a state leader with a progressive record.
As Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz start their battleground blitz, they have their work cut out for them in another swing state – New Hampshire.
The Minnesota governor was set to visit the Granite State this past Sunday, but he canceled at the last minute amid rumors that he was on a list of contenders for her running mate. The campaign confirmed those rumors were true in an official announcement Tuesday. NBC10 Boston spoke with voters in the swing state to get their reaction -- and Walz isn’t exactly getting rave reviews.
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“I was definitely disappointed that it wasn’t Pete Buttigieg because I think he is the man for the job and I think he will be president someday,” New Hampshire voter Rebecca Leedberg said. “I will support the Democratic party regardless, so I am supportive of Kamala and her pick.”
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Leedberg used to work on the primary presidential campaign for now U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and was hopeful that he would run again this time around. On the other hand, Craig Brown worked for the Harris primary campaign that same year and couldn’t be happier to see her on the top of the ticket.
“I’m really excited for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Brown said. “I think in her time as Vice President, she’s done a really great job of focusing on issues that matter.”
Meanwhile, neither Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, nor Walz as a running mate is doing much to sway Trump’s base.
Decision 2024
“I think it’s a very poor pick because he’s far too liberal,” New Hampshire voter Dave Neises said. “I think Trump has many flaws but I think that he is actually in favor of improving the country and keeping it the country that it was as opposed to moving it towards Marxism.”
“I know he’s got a lot of faults,” New Hampshire business owner Robert Abrams said. “Things all boil down to policy and the policy of Trump worked.”
Political analyst Scott Spradling said Harris has been enjoying a boost in the polls over the last couple of weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The big question, according to Spradling, is whether Harris leaves a lot of votes on the table among moderate, independent voters who tend to decide elections in November.
“She’s not going to win over a lot of Republican votes. Period,” Spradling said. “So the ownness is still going to be on the Vice President to come to New Hampshire and close the deal and sell the ticket, if you will.”
