The folksy Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was named vice presidential pick for Kamala Harris’ campaign — and America’s dad by some social media users.
“We’re gonna go get some food — corndog?” Walz asks his daughter, Hope, in one video that has been shared widely since his announcement as VP pick.
“I’m vegetarian,” Hope replies.
“Turkey then,” Walz jokes in response.
This is the kind of Midwestern dad humor that has endeared Harris supporters to the 60-year-old father of two, whose national visibility has been on the rise since Harris took over the Democratic ticket.
“I am overjoyed. I have been a longtime supporter of Tim Walz ever since I learned about him like last week,” comedian Vinny Thomas wrote on X.
“Trying to explain to people that yeah, Tim Walz's got the whole Midwestern Nice thing down, but it's the Midwestern Mean they should be looking out for,” another X user wrote. “Middle-aged dudes from the Midwest can cut you with a ‘You really let me down’ or ‘You're acting like a Class-A moron.’ "
America's dad will help Wilbur and democracy. pic.twitter.com/fTWcW9qJa3
— Ben Siemon (@BenjaminJS) August 6, 2024
Walz was an early supporter of Harris, stepping up for the Democratic nomination after President Biden’s seismic decision not to seek a second term.
Walz’s television appearances are widely credited with helping launch using “weird” to describe former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance — a term that has stuck within Democratic circles and proven to be an accessible talking point for Harris supporters.
I’m telling you: these guys are weird. pic.twitter.com/fvNRNf7T7T
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 24, 2024
In an election cycle where memes are currency, Walz's online persona has enjoyed early, warm acceptance from Harris supporters.
"It’s a helpful tactic to build upon the newly emerging interest and engagement of younger voters since Harris took over the top of the ticket," said Democratic strategist and media consultant Bud Jackson.
"It is a collective expression of newly found joy."
As one X user pointed out, "weird" can be a serious epithet in the nation's middle states: " 'Weird' = Midwestern nice for 'utterly depraved.' "
Either way, Walz deployed the term during his first campaign address on Tuesday — though he stressed he meant it about the top of the ticket, not other Republican supporters. (Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 suffered after she referred to half of Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables.")
"Just an observation of mine that I made," he told the crowd. "I just have to say it: You know it, you feel it — these guys are creepy and, yes, weird as hell."
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