Polis, Colorado political figures react to Harris-Walz ticket

DENVER (KDVR) — Experts and Democrats in Colorado believe Vice President Kamala Harris made a strong vice presidential pick in Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , which could help Democrats build momentum.

Harris announced her running mate on Tuesday. Experts like Seth Masket with the University of Denver said Harris made a safe choice.

“There are limited effects that a good running mate can have. It’s rare that a race actually turns on who the running mate was, but one thing a running mate can do is mess things up,” said Masket, director of DU’s Center on American Politics. “They can create drama that they don’t need to create. They can cause headaches for the presidential candidate. Walz seems unlikely to do that.”

“This is what looks like an interesting strategy of keeping the Democratic base engaged and excited,” Masket said. “That’s been a real turnaround since President Biden announced he was not running for reelection and she stepped in as the heir apparent. There’s just been a much greater enthusiasm among the Democratic base.”

Democrats optimistic about Harris-Walz ticket

FOX31 Political Analyst Andy Boian believes Walz will not only unify and energize the party but can also attract voters who may not have originally supported the Biden-Harris ticket.

“What we’ve done here is given the best shot we can to Democrats to win,” Boian said. “And I think what we’ve done — besides the selfless act of President Biden to step aside — what we’ve done is put the best nominee in place to win and put a running mate that not only will give us the best chance but also just a pure — who do you want to run the country from the most powerful seat in the world kind of position? — I think Americans will trust our ticket.”

“There hasn’t been palpable energy like this behind the Democratic ticket since I worked for Bill Clinton or since Barack Obama in ’08,” Boian said. “I don’t think there has been this kind of energy. So I think what this did was galvanize, energize and purposely put in place a potential win for us because of this ticket.”

The 60-year-old Minnesota governor is a veteran and a former high school teacher and football coach. He is also a former congressman, holding a seat in a GOP-leaning district for 12 years. Washington is where he met a familiar friend who is excited to see him in this position.

“Tim Walz is a good friend,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a former U.S. representative alongside Walz. “I’m excited that she chose a teacher to be her vice presidential candidate. And it would be wonderful to have a teacher in the White House as the vice president. He’s a teacher, a coach. I served with him for 10 years in Congress. He’s thoughtful and he’s independent and he has a world of experience. I think he will be a good and loyal supporter for Kamala Harris and I’m looking forward to hearing more about everything they plan to do to improve our country.”

Walz will still need to be formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention, set to start on Aug. 19.

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