Staff Reports
In a strategic move that some may call desperate, Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for her running mate, seemingly in an effort to snag support in critical swing states. However, the plan appears to be backfiring spectacularly, particularly in Dearborn, Michigan, where voters don’t seem too keen on jumping aboard the Harris-Walz bandwagon.
Recent revelations from Fox News paint a grim picture for Harris’s ambitions. Key swing state voters are not rolling out the red carpet after Walz’s selection. In fact, a local leader actively involved in the Abandon Biden movement stated—rather succinctly—that the choice of Walz was unlikely to persuade anyone in Dearborn to support Harris. This news must be a real kick in the teeth for the VP as she scrambles to hold onto her party’s more skeptical constituents.
The @GovTimWalz story continues to get worse for @KamalaHarris campaign. NH has one of the highest per capita veteran populations in US. https://t.co/nNSOyGL8yR
— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) August 12, 2024
The backdrop of this political theater is the growing divide within the Democratic Party over the issue of Israel. While some Democrats rally behind Israel, a significant number of voters in swing districts like Michigan are decidedly anti-Israel. This division created a conundrum for President Biden during his reelection campaign, and now, it appears, Harris is caught in the same crossfire. Replacing Biden with Harris was thought by some to be a potential remedy for this issue, yet that hope seems as lost as a needle in a haystack.
Choosing Walz, rather than a fellow Democrat with more appeal in the Muslim community like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, also raises questions about the wisdom of Harris’s decision-making. It was a gamble, but given the numbers from Dearborn, the cards are not in her favor. As one prominent local figure has noted, Walz doesn’t resonate with the Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan. He’s essentially just a younger version of Biden with the same policies that have upset many voters.
While some advocacy groups are holding out hope that Harris can somehow redeem herself by shaking up White House policies—perhaps even calling for an arms embargo on Israel—the indications so far suggest that victory in these areas will be a tough uphill battle. Given the current climate, it is clear that Harris’s tactics might need a complete overhaul, or she could be left talking to the wall while hoping for a miracle that isn’t coming.
