Democratic VP pick Tim Walz stars at party convention

CHICAGO

Tim Walz will officially accept the nomination to be Kamala Harris's White House running mate Wednesday as he presses a charm offensive that has seen him become a darling of the Democratic National Convention.

Michelle and Barack Obama made for a hard act to follow Tuesday as they brought down the house at the packed arena hosting the party's nominating convention, with the former president saying Harris would fight for Americans and calling her November poll rival Donald Trump "dangerous."

Described as a "happy warrior" on a ticket seeking to project optimism in contrast with the darker tone of Trump's campaign, under-the-radar Minnesota governor Walz has been ubiquitous in Chicago as he seeks to introduce himself to the party and the country.

Walz, 60, has earned chants of "Tim! Tim! Tim!" and requests for selfies from delighted attendees in appearances at panels and state delegations as he energizes grassroots activists, less than three months ahead of Election Day.

The former National Guard officer has made a name for himself as one of the Democrats' most effective communicators, with his criticism of Trump and running mate J.D. Vance as "weird" going viral shortly before Harris entered the race.

"Not only do we have massive energy in our convention, we've got a lot more energy where they had their convention—right here," Walz said at a packed rally with Harris Tuesday, in the same Milwaukee arena where Trump and his Republicans staged their convention in July.

Exuding folksy charm, Walz brings a rural Midwestern perspective to the ticket but is seen as being from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

Most Americans still don't know him, and he is likely to give the convention in Chicago and the wider television audience a glimpse of his personal story in his acceptance speech.

He will likely speak of his upbringing in small-town Nebraska, where he worked on the family farm, and describe his military service, his experiences as a teacher, and his record in politics.

The four-day convention has announced nightly themes, with Wednesday's motif—"For the People, For Our Future"—hinting that Walz will be looking forward as well as talking about his past.

Harris and Walz have appeared together at multiple events in battleground states, offering a glimpse of how they might appeal to voters as a duo—one a trailblazing Black and South Asian former senator from California, the other a white ex-congressman from the blue-collar heartland.

The noisy rallies have provided a striking reminder of how different the race looked exactly a month ago, as 81-year-old President Joe Biden bowed to mounting concerns over his age and exited the race, endorsing Harris.

Republicans, still reeling from the switch-up, have been scrambling to craft a narrative around Walz as a "dangerously liberal extremist" who has made inaccurate and inconsistent statements about his background.

But the attacks have not been effective, and the Harris-Walz campaign has shattered fundraising records on its way to erasing Trump's lead in polls over Biden.

"I think that bringing Tim Walz onto the ticket helps demonstrate that it is more than acceptable, and even lauded, to embody a form of masculinity that is kind and compassionate," said Sabrina Karim, associate professor in the Department of Government at Cornell University.

"His form of masculinity stands in contrast to Donald Trump and provides some voters, particularly white male voters, an alternative way to be masculine that could be appealing."

While Walz gets top billing, a number of celebrities, party leaders, and rising stars are on the speaking lineup in Chicago, with former President Bill Clinton the highlight of Wednesday's undercard.

Clinton was nominated for a second time when Chicago last hosted a Democratic convention in 1996.