Newswise — WASHINGTON (August 6, 2024) – Kamala Harris has made her choice for a Vice Presidential running mate – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Harris and Walz will appear together for the first time at a joint rally in Philadelphia later today. Walz’s profile rose considerably after a cable TV interview in which he called Republicans “weird.”
Originally from Nebraska, Walz, 60, was a school teacher before politics and served in the army national guard for 24 years. He first ran for office in 2006 in a Republican-leaning congressional district and kept the district through 2016. Walz then ran for governor of Minnesota in 2018 and has held that seat ever since.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on the latest out of the Harris-Walz campaign. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Matt Dallek, a professor at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, is a political historian with expertise in the intersection of social crises and political transformation, the evolution of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. Along with four co-authored books, Dallek is the author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, which explores the history and influence of America’s right-wing activism.
Reverend Professor Quardricos Bernard Driskell is an adjunct professor of religion and politics at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, as well as a policy influencer and federal lobbyist. With nearly ten years of government relations experience, he has worked for two patient voluntary health associations where he advanced the patient voice into policy and research deliberations through services to Congress, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition to Rev. Professor Driskell’s government affairs career, for ten years, he has worked on interfaith and religious liberty issues, defending the free exercise of religion.
Steven Livingston is the Founding Director of the GW Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics and a professor of media and public affairs. Livingston's research and teaching focus on media/information technology and political theory. He is particularly interested in the role of information technologies and media on democracy.
David Karpf is an associate professor of media and public affairs. His work focuses on strategic communication practices of political associations in America, with a particular interest in Internet-related strategies. Karpf is the award-winning author of The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy and Analytic Activism: Digital Listening and the New Political Strategy. Both books discuss how digital media is transforming the work of political advocacy and activist organizations.
Imani M. Cheers, an associate professor of digital storytelling, is an award-winning digital storyteller, director, producer, and filmmaker. As a professor of practice, she uses a variety of mediums including video, photography, television, and film to document and discuss issues impacting and involving people of the African Diaspora. Her scholarly focus is on the intersection of women/girls, technology, health, conflict, agriculture, and the effects of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.
Peter Loge, director of the GW School of Media & Public Affairs, has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, including a presidential appointment at the Food and Drug Administration and senior positions for Sen. Edward Kennedy and three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations.
Loge says, “Vice presidential candidates don't typically impact the outcome of presidential elections. But this is an atypical year. Candidates are metaphors, they stand in for images and ideas campaigns want to promote. Their experience and positions matter, and so does the story their presence tells.
Governor Walz of Minnesota says to voters that Democrats care about mid-western values, not just the coasts. Governor Walz's home state and his approach to Trump say ‘I'm a real person from a real place.’ Governor Walz talks like a person, not a political chatbot. When Walz says that ‘these guys are weird,’ he gets outside the expected tit-for-tat that can make politics miserable. Governor Walz is a real person from a real place, not a politician polished within an inch of his life.”
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