"Running to Win This Thing"

Just a month ago, the race for the U.S. presidency seemed dull and predictable. Almost everyone expected Trump to win.

The surprise was Joe Biden stepping aside in favor of Kamala Harris, and even more surprising was the enthusiasm this decision sparked among Democratic voters. Many, including myself, did not have high expectations for Harris, as her tenure has been rather lackluster, with low approval ratings.

However, her entry into the race has changed the landscape, shaken the Republican Party, and established a real competition: some of the latest polls predict a technical tie between the two contenders. If the momentum continues, the race for the White House will be extremely close.

In just two weeks, Harris secured donors and support within her party. The excitement she generated, just 100 days before the election, has translated into gains that perhaps even the Democrats hadn’t anticipated.

Harris is now officially the Democratic Party nominee, with only the formality of the convention in two weeks, which they might as well skip.

With the nomination secured, Harris only needed to select her running mate. The news finally broke on Tuesday, August 6. Needless to say, I believe the choice of the former California prosecutor was a tremendous mistake.

On the day of the announcement, liberal media supportive of the Democratic cause spared no effort in telling us who on earth Tim Walz is—the governor of Minnesota and now the second person in the race for the presidency—and why he is a good choice. Meanwhile, Fox News, aligning with the Republican offensive strategy, labeled him a socialist, leftist, etc.

However, less partisan outlets like Vox pointed out that Harris’s decision was unfortunate, and I agree. Rightly or wrongly, in the minds of many undecided voters—those who are not particularly fans of Trump but also do not align with progressivism—Kamala Harris possesses radical ideological traits that concern them.

With Tim Walz as the vice-presidential candidate, the Democratic duo faces a tougher path that once seemed to lead to a possible victory. The Minnesota governor identifies as a progressive, and while he has received the blessing of many Democratic sectors, especially those on the left, there is concern that moderate voters will view this combination as too radical, despite Harris's attempts to moderate her campaign and avoid demonizing Donald Trump and the potential dangers of his second term.

Personally, I would have liked to see someone like Josh Shapiro as Harris's running mate. A tremendously popular, moderate figure who might have been able to appeal to sectors that do not sympathize with the vice president. That would have better balanced the delicate ideological scale on which the Democratic Party is currently moving.

Time will tell whether Harris’s decision, in choosing a governor who became popular on social media in recent weeks thanks to an unusual description of his Republican opponents and a unique communication style—described by his close associates as “people-friendly”—will be enough to win “this thing,” as Walz himself put it on X regarding the presidency of his country.