A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, a source close to the campaign tells NPR News. The 60-year-old former high school teacher and National Guard veteran also served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now, the decision follows an expedited vetting process, one that normally takes months, condensed into a matter of weeks. Joining us now to talk about the choice is Jim Messina. He led Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012 and founded The Messina Group, a political consulting firm. Jim, so what are your thoughts, immediate thoughts, on Kamala Harris' decision to take Tim Walz?
JIM MESSINA: She had a really great and deep bench, and I think this was really about connection. The two of them really connected. He's been the rising star in the past, like, couple of weeks as people saw him out there. You know, he's the one who coined the weird phrase about Donald Trump that's kind of taken over the Democratic Party. And, you know, he has that Midwestern nice ability to deliver a hit, and that's what the VPs typically do. So I think there's a lot of excitement about the governor this morning.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, it was down to Walz and Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania. What do you think got Walz over the top?
MESSINA: I think the connection with the vice president. From what I've heard, you know, the two of them really bonded. There's really three things you care about when you pick a VP. First of all, do no harm.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter) Yeah.
MESSINA: You don't want a JD Vance situation where you're discussing, you know, his problems for the next 10 days. Second is you really want someone you want to hang out with for the next four years. You have lunch with the VP every week. You make really tough decisions with the VP. So someone you really click with. And then three, it's someone who can bring something to the ticket. And this election is going to be won in the Midwest, in those three Midwestern states that we call the blue wall, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. And, you know, the campaign and her felt that he was the best fit there. And so I think, you know, you're going to see that connection today in the announcement event.
MARTÍNEZ: What do you think he brings to the ticket? Because this is one of those unprecedented situations, Jim, in that we're not exactly sure what Kamala Harris stands for. She still has to introduce herself in some ways to the rest of the country.
MESSINA: Well, what I think he brings is being a governor. Obviously, governors are traditionally very good running mates. They run a state, they understand the role. Second - like, back to my Midwestern point - what he brings is an ability to connect. He had a really deep Republican district that he won as a Democrat. He won a very close election in Minnesota twice and has shown he's able to win an election in the Midwest. And three, energy - I recently saw him talk on this call called White Dudes for Kamala, and he talked about going after Trump. And he was amazing on that call. And I think, you know, the good picks that have happened recently, really energy is what you bring as a VP. That's what Al Gore brought to young Bill Clinton. That's what - you remember Joe Biden running onto stage with Barack Obama, so excited to be the ticket. That energy is what I think Walz brings.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, when it comes to Pennsylvania, that's one of the reasons why a lot of people thought Josh Shapiro was going to be one of the front-runners. It seems more of a swing state than Minnesota is, sure. But what do you think Walz can bring in Pennsylvania, considering that that's where this whirlwind tour for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz starts?
MESSINA: Yeah, they started the campaign there today because Pennsylvania is the ultimate swing state. And what I think he brings there is just a connection. He looks like Midwestern voters, he talks like them, he has the same stories as they do. He's not partisan - he's a governor. I think they're going to fall in love with him. And they're immediately going to put him there, and then they take him to western Wisconsin, which feels a lot like his old district in Minnesota. And, you know, the ability to kind of be one of them - he was a teacher for 20 years. He coached Little League. He did all the things that they do in those states. And I think that's his connection.
MARTÍNEZ: When it comes to what this ticket, Harris-Walz, does in relation to the Trump-Vance ticket, how do they stack up now?
MESSINA: Look, I think it's the perfect combination for the Democrats, in part because it really is about the future versus the past. Harris is young, exciting, bringing that positive energy. Obviously, Walz will be part of that. When you see him today, you know, voters will fall in love with his energy, his just Midwestern connection. And then I think, you know, the anger from the Trump-Vance ticket, constantly wanting to fight old battles and go back and talk about anger and elections - and, you know, Vance's weird stuff about single women being cat ladies - that's kind of yesterday's politics. And, you know, campaigns are won if you can be about the future, if you can be about what voters want to be, not what they used to be. And I think that's what Harris and Walz sets up.
MARTÍNEZ: What do Harris and Walz have to look out for if Republicans start to come after them? What would be their thing that they need to kind of pay attention to?
MESSINA: Yeah, look, the Republicans are spending huge amounts of money, money we've never seen, in the battleground states trying to define her as an out-of-touch liberal. And I think Walz helps push back against that, helps her say, look, we're just like you. We have your same hopes and dreams. We've never seen the amount of money that the Republicans are spending right now in these seven battleground states attempting to define her, you know, the same way I was able to define Mitt Romney in the Obama campaign. That's what they're trying to do. And I think that's what Democrats have to push back against very, very quickly. If they allow Harris to be defined in the next 10 days before the convention, you know, it'll be something that's really hard to fix.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, Kamala Harris is not going to get a ton of time to introduce herself to the nation. How important will it be, Jim, for her to establish her identity apart from being Joe Biden's vice president?
MESSINA: Oh, it's hugely important. And you think about, in the campaign, you really get two free moments to sort of look at the country and say, this is who I am. Today is one of them. The whole world will watch her announce her VP. And the second is her convention speech. That will be the most televised moment until the debate, and it's the one time she can look at the country and make her case. Most people won't watch the speech live. Most people will see it on TikTok or hear it on NPR. But that's going to be her two moments, and they all come in the next 10 days. So these days are really, really important for her to define what she's doing.
MARTÍNEZ: That convention speech - we've seen one convention speech already. That was Donald Trump at the RNC. What kind of tone do you think Kamala Harris' speech should be at the DNC?
MESSINA: Positive. I mean, I want her to look at the country and tell them what she's going to do. You know, it doesn't mean she won't talk about Donald Trump, doesn't mean she won't contrast herself. But part of why she's had, you know, the best two weeks in modern American political history is her enthusiasm, her positive vision. She's really galvanized the party and galvanized the country and really made this race a toss-up race. But these swing voters haven't decided yet. These swing voters think about politics four minutes a week and they have over two jobs on average. And they want her to tell them what she's going to do to make their lives better. And so that's what I hope she will do.
MARTÍNEZ: OK.
MESSINA: And that's kind of what she's been doing in the last two weeks.
MARTÍNEZ: That's Jim Messina, founder of The Messina Group. Jim, thank you.
MESSINA: Thank you.
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