August 19, 2024, the Democratic Party kicked off its Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois less than one month after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris’s rise to the national ticket, a sudden shift in an already tenuous election, has brought a renewed energy to the Democratic Party.
Particularly after the last presidential debate, many potential voters were contemplating abstaining from the 2024 election due to not finding a candidate they could see leading them into the future. With Harris’s move up the ticket, there is a renewed vigor and excitement for voters––particularly those under 30. However, as much energy remains behind the Vice President at the moment, she still has much to catch up with only two months left before the presidential election.
As one of her first steps, Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate. Walz, a former high school social studies teacher and football coach, served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before running and winning 6 terms in the House of Representatives. He won the Minnesota gubernatorial in 2018 and is currently serving his second term as governor. In his policymaking, Walz has supported pro-choice bills, increased gun regulation, and protected gender affirming care. He has spoken out about a ceasefire in Gaza.
After Walz’s sign on to the ticket, many Americans are comparing him with President’s Trump’s choice of running mate JD Vance. Walz’s comment that Trump and Vance are “weird” has caught on among Democrats as many try to draw extreme contrasts between the two candidates. Democrats are attempting to portray Walz as the friendly, Midwestern candidate while trying to push Vance into the role of a superior, unrelatable character. Harris is also riding the wave that Gen Z voters are providing through a blast of social media campaigning and owning public content (like memes, reels, and more) created by young Americans.
However, regardless of how public perception of her run is playing out right now, Harris still has many policy points to iron out, not having done many public media interviews where she will be grilled on her stances. In particular, the next presidential debate (on September 10th and hosted by ABC) will likely be a time many interested Americans tune in to see their first glance at the candidates’ responses and behaviors with one another. The debate may be under contention, however, since Harris’s campaign is wishing to have hot mics during this next debate and Trump’s campaign is hoping for another news network to host it. Even if the debate does not pan out, Harris still needs to clearly outline her political stances and her vision for the next 4 years from a policymaking standpoint before November rolls around. Democrats are significantly more enthusiastic about their chances and hopes for the election with their new ticket, and we will see in the next couple months if Harris and Walz can keep up with the momentum and secure 4 years.