Kornacki Comments On Walz After Harris Announcement
With Tim Walz officially joining Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket, the political chatter is in full swing.
Republicans are practically celebrating, seeing Walz as a far-left governor with a radical record who hails from a state that isn’t exactly a battleground. They’re already gearing up to use his past and policies as ammunition.
For Democrats, the reaction is more complicated. The mainstream press is working hard to paint Walz as a centrist, probably because he’s a white, Midwest governor. But if you look closer, the enthusiasm from progressives like Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells a different story. If these prominent progressives are excited, it’s a pretty clear sign that Walz aligns with their more socialist-leaning views.
Kornacki savages Walz’s margins in small town MN:
“This is where Dems have lost ground and Walz, in 2022, he didn’t gain any ground.”
“The idea that he’s got this automatic appeal with these small town areas … you don’t see it in what he actually did on the ballot.” pic.twitter.com/11m74oKUjH
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) August 6, 2024
Despite the narrative that Walz appeals to the working class and rural Rust Belt voters, MSNBC’s election analyst Steve Kornacki provides a reality check. Data shows that Walz didn’t make any significant gains with rural, working-class Minnesotans in his 2022 re-election campaign. In fact, he lost ground compared to Joe Biden’s performance in 2020. This suggests that Walz doesn’t have a unique appeal to the demographic that Donald Trump is banking on.
Moreover, Walz’s overall victory margin in 2022 was narrower than his first-term win, indicating a vulnerability in a state that has traditionally been a Democratic stronghold since 1972. This raises questions about his supposed centrist appeal.
His job isn’t to activate blue collar voters
It’s to activate affluent white suburban liberals who like feeling he *could* appeal to blue collar voters https://t.co/fo3Mb8giwP
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) August 6, 2024
Let’s dive into some of the more controversial aspects of Walz’s record. He’s been a champion of policies that are far from the center. For instance, he made Minnesota a “sanctuary” for gender-affirming care for minors and supported giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. These stances solidify his reputation as a progressive, which might not sit well with rural, working-class voters.
Here’s the crux of the issue with Walz. He’s seen by liberal elites as someone who represents the working class, but this perception is more a caricature than reality. He’s the kind of figure who fits the idealized version of a blue-collar worker that affluent liberals have in mind, yet he doesn’t actually resonate with the genuine working-class demographic. This disconnect is what the press seems to be missing in their portrayal of Walz.