Malcolm Rivera
In 2024, Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, ran for President and Vice President of the United States on the Democratic ticket. Following Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race, Harris chose Walz, the Minnesota governor, to join her campaign. The pair embarked on a media blitz, including interviews and rallies, to promote their campaign. However, they faced scrutiny and criticism for their strategy and performance, particularly in their handling of the press and voters. Despite their efforts, the Harris-Walz campaign lost to the Trump-Vance ticket in the election.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Campaign duration | 107 days |
| Campaign strategy | Focus on battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin |
| Campaign missteps | Risk-averse approach, limited in-person events, underutilization of Tim Walz, avoidance of unscripted moments with the press and voters |
| Loss | 312 electoral college votes to 226 |
| Post-campaign | Tim Walz returned to the national spotlight with TV appearances and fundraising events, while facing criticism for hinting at a 2028 presidential run |
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What You'll Learn
Tim Walz's 2024 campaign critiques
Tim Walz, the failed 2024 vice-presidential candidate, has offered some critiques of his own campaign with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Walz and Harris joined forces in August 2024, just days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The pair had just over 100 days to rally support before the election in November.
Walz has said that he and Harris were too "safe" during their campaign, claiming they should have held more in-person events around the US, such as town halls. He told Politico: "We shouldn't have been playing this thing so safe... I think we probably should have just rolled the dice and done the town halls, where [voters] may say: 'You're full of shit, I don't believe in you.' I think there could have been more of that." Walz also suggested that the Democrats were too cautious in engaging with the media.
Some have agreed with Walz's self-critique, with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison saying that he wished they "would've put him out there more" and that "the world seemed to want more Tim Walz". However, one former Harris aide said that while Walz was "underutilised", he didn't think it would have changed the result.
Walz also faced scrutiny from the national media, which unearthed several gaffes and misstatements, including when he misleadingly claimed he had been in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. A former Harris staffer said that by the time Walz was allowed to do anything, there were "only so many days left" in the campaign.
Despite the critiques, Walz has been returning to the national spotlight, with more TV appearances and a fundraising event in front of 1,000 Democrats in Montana. Some have even suggested he could be a strong candidate for the 2028 election.
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Harris-Walz campaign strategy in battleground states
The Harris-Walz campaign strategy in the battleground states has involved a lot of travelling, with the candidates crisscrossing the country and visiting several key states. In the month since the Democratic ticket changed, the Harris campaign has claimed that the Democratic map is expanding while Donald Trump's is not, and that they are competitive in states like Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia.
The campaign has focused on grassroots efforts, with rallies, door-knocking, phone calls, and community conversations. The candidates have also been making appearances with celebrities and politicians such as Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, and Gretchen Whitmer. The campaign has emphasized the positive vision of the vice president and the governor for the country, in contrast to what they call the extreme and dangerous vision of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
In terms of specific states, the Harris-Walz campaign has focused on the blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They have also targeted the Southwest, including Nevada and Arizona, and the Southeast, including Georgia and North Carolina. In Michigan, Harris emphasized fighting for working people and the benefits of organized labor. In Arizona and Nevada, she drew on her experience as California's attorney general to address concerns about migration, discussing her work in going after transnational gangs, drug cartels, and smugglers.
The campaign has seen large crowds, with 12,000 people in Philadelphia and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 15,000 in the Detroit area and Glendale, Arizona, and over 12,000 in Las Vegas. However, despite the enthusiasm and momentum generated, the campaign has also faced challenges. The Trump-Vance ticket ultimately swept the battleground states, winning the election with 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226. In the aftermath, Walz acknowledged that the Democrats played it too safe during the campaign cycle.
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Kamala Harris's 2024 election campaign
Kamala Harris, the first female Vice President of the United States, ran for president in 2024 alongside Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris had previously sought the Democratic nomination in 2020 but withdrew from the race in December 2019. She later became Joe Biden's running mate, and the pair won the 2020 election. In 2024, Biden sought re-election with Harris as his running mate. However, following concerns about Biden's age and fitness, he withdrew from the election in July 2024 and endorsed Harris as his successor.
Harris and Walz's 2024 campaign was criticized by some as being too "safe," and it was suggested that they should have held more in-person events and town halls across the country. The campaign faced time constraints, as Walz was not selected as Harris's running mate until early August, just three months before the election. Despite these challenges, the campaign saw an "incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm," with a focus on building a grassroots movement and expanding the Democratic map. Harris's agenda included addressing issues such as high prices and the Israel-Hamas war.
The Harris-Walz ticket received endorsements from celebrities such as Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, LeBron James, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. However, the campaign also faced opposition from some Arab Americans due to Harris's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ultimately, Harris and Walz lost the 2024 election to Trump, conceding the race on election night. Despite the loss, Harris's campaign left a significant impact, and she continues to be a prominent figure in American politics.
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Harris-Walz campaign missteps
The Harris-Walz campaign faced several challenges and missteps that contributed to their defeat in the 2024 presidential election. One key issue was the short duration of the campaign, as Harris only became the official Democratic nominee about three months before the election, leaving limited time to engage with voters and take risks. This shortened timeframe may have contributed to a perception that the campaign was overly cautious and risk-averse.
Another factor was the dynamic between Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. Some critics argued that Walz was underutilized and not presented effectively to voters. He was reportedly restricted by the campaign, with efforts made to curb some of his signature lines, such as his description of Trump and Republicans as "weird." Walz also faced scrutiny for gaffes and misstatements, such as misleading claims about his presence in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The relationship between Harris and President Joe Biden also played a role. Biden refused to allow Harris to establish "daylight" between his policies and hers, hampering her ability to present herself as a change agent. This dynamic was particularly notable during Harris's first joint television interview with Walz, where she recited a list of Biden's policies, reinforcing a perception that she was afraid to answer tough questions independently.
In addition, the Harris-Walz campaign was up against a strong Republican ticket of Trump and Vance, who swept the battleground states and ultimately won the election. The Democrats' loss can also be attributed to their inability to connect with voters and take calculated risks, as reflected in Walz's post-election comments.
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Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania
The Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania was a crucial part of their strategy in the 2024 election, with the state being a key battleground. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz embarked on a bus tour of the state in August 2024, marking Harris' eighth trip to Pennsylvania that year. The tour included stops in Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Moon, where they met with volunteers and voters. Harris and Walz also visited a high school and a firehouse, and made a pilgrimage to a Sheetz convenience store, a well-known Pennsylvania chain.
Harris and Walz's campaign in Pennsylvania focused on broad-strokes messages of character, perseverance, and the future of the country, rather than specific policy details. They emphasised the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, including job creation and lowering costs for Americans. Harris also tried to keep the focus on abortion rights in the closing stretch of the campaign.
The Democratic candidates chose Philadelphia as the location for their first joint appearance in the state, highlighting its importance as the largest city in Pennsylvania. Harris campaigned in the city, delivering a message of the need for young voters to get involved, as there was "too much at stake". Pennsylvania, and specifically southwestern Pennsylvania, has long been a critical battleground, with Trump winning the state in 2016 and Biden flipping it in 2020.
The Harris-Walz campaign recognised the significance of Pennsylvania in a competitive presidential election and sought to engage directly with voters in the state. However, in the aftermath of their loss to Trump and Vance, Walz reflected that the campaign had been too risk-averse and that he and Harris should have held more in-person events and town halls across the country.
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Frequently asked questions
You can find information on the Harris-Walz 2024 presidential campaign on news websites such as The Guardian, Politico, PBS NewsHour, and Fox News.
The main critiques of the Harris-Walz campaign were that they played it too "safe", not holding enough in-person events and town halls around the US, and that they didn't take enough risks. There was also criticism of the way Tim Walz was presented to voters, with some saying he was underutilized and kept in a "box".
The Harris-Walz campaign lost the 2024 election to the Trump-Vance ticket, receiving 226 electoral college votes to Trump-Vance's 312.
