SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The Democratic Party ticket is set. The party gets set to open its convention in Chicago. Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate. We have NPR's Ron Elving along with us now. Ron, thanks for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: An eventful three weeks, my friend. Two new nominees, historic fundraising numbers. What do you think happened?
ELVING: Right after Biden's announcement, things were really up in the air. But the trajectory has been generally upward and onward for the Democratic ticket since then. Just look at the polls and the cash-on-hand totals. So is this a sugar rush, a media honeymoon? Yes, those terms apply, but there was also something like what Wall Street brokers call a relief rally because much of the Democratic Party had been holding its breath every time Biden went on TV. Was he OK? Was he up to it? Could he beat Trump again?
Three weeks ago, all those people got a chance to exhale. And in the next moment, they got a taste of fresh hope. Democrats, in general, and a fair number of other people are mostly intent on blocking a Trump return to the White House. And they have taken heart from Harris' early performance on the campaign trail, from the reception Tim Walz has received as the VP pick and the prospect of starting this contest over. They've gone from hang on with Joe to a much more aggressive and future-oriented campaign.
SIMON: But - to invoke a favorite phrase of journalists - not so long ago, there were stories asking, where was Vice President Harris in the orbit of the Biden administration? Was her political standing harmed by her identification with the administration's border policies? She didn't seem to spark some of the same potential interest as names like Whitmer, Buttigieg, Newsom. Surged enthusiasm, but she is still just tied in the polls with Donald Trump. Is there enough time to put herself across in a campaign?
ELVING: Yes, she is still just tied. But Harris was not in the race a month ago. And after just three weeks, she has caught up to the consensus Republican nominee, a very well-known figure, and she even leads in some polling. Hard to think of anyone else who's done that before. Was she everyone's first choice? No, not by any means. But neither was anyone else. And it became clear Harris had the best chance of pulling the party together quickly, and that's what she has, in fact, done. But one must say the hard part is still ahead.
One edge she has on Biden is that she can focus on the campaign full-time. She doesn't have to be president while running for president, but she needs to focus on defining herself apart from the Biden administration and apart from the attacks Trump and company are and will be making. That means finding a stronger line on immigration, perhaps pushing that Senate bipartisan compromise from last winter that looked like it had a shot but then was rejected by Donald Trump.
SIMON: And the two VP candidates, Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, both Midwestern men - as are we, Ron, come to think of it - but different Midwestern men, aren't they?
ELVING: Yes, indeed. If I may borrow a bit from Walt Whitman, the Midwest is large and can contain many apparent contradictions. But on your point, these two co-regionists of ours are quite different, a generation apart. Vance just turned 40. Their life histories are as different as the presidential candidates who chose them. Vance combines two very different visions of America. One is the traditional, rural, small-town America he wrote about in his book "Hillbilly Elegy." The other is the America of certain high-tech billionaires who have sponsored his career, both in business and in politics. And if Vance captures these opposites, Walz represents much of what's in the middle - neither the soaring futurism of Silicon Valley nor the grievance culture that has taken root in Trump country. One way to think about the two men is to ask yourself, who do they remind you of? Is it an older family member, or is it someone you met in school or on your first job?
SIMON: And there will be a debate September 10, right?
ELVING: There will, indeed.
SIMON: NPR's Ron Elving, thanks so much.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
