Dan Pfeiffer“The case for Shapiro and Kelly was clear: they would help win key states. Walz is from Minnesota, and Republicans were making noise about Minnesota a few weeks ago when President Biden was on the campaign trail. Polls since Harris became the nominee suggest Minnesota is no longer up for grabs. If Harris struggles to hold on to Minnesota, she’s screwed in similar states like Michigan and Wisconsin. Shapiro could have given her a slight boost in Pennsylvania. Home-state boosts from vice presidential candidates are greatly exaggerated, but they are real. Most estimate it at one or two points. Pennsylvania has been decided by less than a point in the past two presidential elections.”
“I’ve been a big fan of Josh Shapiro since 2008. Like Kamala Harris, he became an early supporter of Barack Obama when most of the party leadership was backing Hillary Clinton. I wouldn’t be surprised if he became president one day.”
“By choosing Walz, Kamala Harris was looking at something bigger than winning one state. She sought a running mate who could help her in all seven battleground states. Winning Pennsylvania alone is not enough to get to the White House. Presidential politics is more like chess than checkers, and choosing Walz is proof that Kamala Harris is looking at the whole board.”
Save to Favorites