How do undecided voters feel about Kamala Harris’s new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota?
At least a handful are still undecided.
It’s said that vice-presidential candidates do not affect voter choices much, and that seems to be true with a small group of undecided voters in swing states that The Times has been checking in with over the last seven weeks.
When asked about Vice President Harris’s choice of Governor Walz, the undecided voters basically shrugged. Here’s what they said.
Kristen Morris in Charlotte, N.C.
Kristen Morris, 60, a nursing student, who jokingly refers to herself as a “raging moderate,” said she knew almost nothing about Mr. Walz other than that he “looks like a very authentic, hardworking, principled guy” who has an interesting blend of military and teaching experience.
“He’s a progressive, and she’s obviously a progressive,” Ms. Morris said of the Democratic ticket. “What really would make me happy is if there’s a movement toward the middle. It can be left of center, it can be right of center. I don’t care, but just get away from making unrealistic promises and pandering to an extreme.”
Ms. Morris said that she looked forward to the Democratic National Convention to see how the party presents its platform, and that she hoped the candidates would debate their Republican counterparts before Election Day.
Remarcus Steele in Atlanta
Remarcus Steele, 29, a social media influencer, said that, to him, the choice for Mr. Walz reflected the caution that a Black female candidate would take after watching the backlash to former President Barack Obama. Mr. Steele noted what he called a “smear campaign” regarding Ms. Harris’s racial identity and the comments by people like former President Donald J. Trump who insinuate that she doesn’t fully embrace her Black identity.
Mr. Steele, who is leaning toward voting for a third-party candidate, said that he wanted to hear more from Ms. Harris. “I’ve known of Kamala Harris, but not enough to give an accurate analysis of her politics, or her as a person,” he said.
Bob and Sharon Reed in Pennsylvania
Bob and Sharon Reed, who live on a farm, are still debating their choices, but in different ways.
Mr. Reed, 77, a retired teacher, is leaning slightly toward voting for Mr. Trump, “just for his policy.” If Ms. Harris had picked Josh Shapiro, the popular Pennsylvania governor, her candidacy might have “edged up a little bit, but not enough,” Mr. Reed said.
Ms. Reed, also 77 and a retired teacher, is repelled by Mr. Trump, but she cannot see herself voting for Ms. Harris either. “I don’t think she is ready,” she said, adding, “The vice-presidential pick wouldn’t have changed my vote one way or another.”
Ryan Rivera in Phoenix
Ryan Rivera, 20, offered a reminder that many voters simply were not paying much attention. Mx. Rivera, a transgender man who uses they and them pronouns, recently picked up a second job and said they did not have bandwidth to track the veepstakes.
Mx. Rivera was relieved that President Biden had stepped down, and now feels more comfortable about voting for Democrats in November. But Rivera is more focused on saving up to get an apartment: “The idea of putting my brain to focus on politics, it’s a lot.”
The post How Undecided Voters Feel About Tim Walz appeared first on New York Times.
