Washington — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association, said Associate to Vice President Kamala Harris is “the epitome of the Midwest dad,” touting his profile as an asset on the ticket heading into November’s election.
“You could put him at any state fair, on any main street, and certainly at any Friday night football game in rural Kansas, and he would fit right in,” Kelly said of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” Sunday.
Harris chose Walz, a popular two-term governor, as her running mate last week, before the two campaigned together in seven key states in the days that followed. Waltz, 60, is a former high school social studies teacher, coach, congressman and veteran. The choice was has won praise across broad swaths of the Democratic Party, with renewed energy around the ticket following President Biden’s decision to step down.
Asked whether Walz’s ability to speak to the heartland and rural America has been overestimated, Kelly made it clear she thinks that is not the case.
“I think we also have to remember that even though Minnesota is a blue state, he represented a very red section of Minnesota in Congress for 12 years,” Kelly noted, adding that “he understands rural Minnesota, he understands rural America, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s a great asset to the Harris-Walz team.”
Kelly, a two-time Democratic governor of a Republican state, talked about how the party can focus on bringing back rural America, where some demographics that were previously aligned with Democrats have seen their support decline in recent years. She said it’s about listening to voters and producing for them.
“Even though we call everybody red or blue, the fact is that here in Kansas, we are Kansans,” Kelly said. “If you’re a Democrat, but you share the values of most Kansans, you just have to go out, talk to them, get them to know you, make yourself known, and then they will develop that trust and put you in place to lead the state.”
