FLINT, MI — Larry Safford is well known in the mid-Michigan community.
He is a veteran, former crime scene expert, and a huge John Wayne fan. The 85-year-old farmer is nearing the end of sweet corn and raspberry season, and his 20 acres are filled with customers old and new. In the fall, we give pumpkins to our children, and in the winter, we shovel snow for our neighbors.
In many ways, Safford represents the typical Midwestern American vision of honesty, hard work, and kindness. He told USA TODAY that the area he calls home means bad weather and football, and no, not everyone is kind.
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When it comes to politics, Safford voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Four years later, he said he voted for Joe Biden in 2020 because he felt he could no longer trust the sitting US president to put the American people first. . Here in 2024, Safford said he is excited about the emergence of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to replace the aging 81-year-old Biden.
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Initially, he didn’t know much about Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz. Mr. Safford had already planned to vote Democratic, but when he learned of the background of Mr. Walz, a Nebraska native from a farming family, former teacher, soccer coach, and military veteran, he decided to consider himself the Minnesota governor. He said they overlapped.
“That’s more important than where (Harris and Walz’s) philosophy came from,” he said. Safford, who relies on a fixed income, said having someone with similar experience in the White House gives him hope for the future.
From visiting fire departments and speaking about union rights to posting videos with his daughter about state fairs, proper car maintenance and leaving gutters unattended, over the years Walz, 60, has been He has cultivated a public image of being a father. door. He was doing so even before he entered the contentious presidential race in which the winner could lead the country for four years.
Now a major player in the 2024 election, the second-term Minnesota governor is centering his White House campaign appearances on his working-class background. He recalls stories of hunting, touts his service in the Army National Guard, and emphasizes his Midwestern family values.
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“Here’s the deal. We’re nice guys. We’ll help you out after a snowstorm. We’ll say ‘hello’ at the store. Some of us might even let you meet us on the freeway. Not everyone, but Walz joked earlier this month during a campaign visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Furthermore, he added: “We have a saying for that: Minnesota Nice, that’s what we call it. I’m sure you have it too. But I’ll tell you one thing about Midwesterners. What we want to do is extend beyond the beautiful blue walls of the North.”Here in America, one thing about us is: never mistake our kindness for weakness. ”
For many Republicans, Walz is just part of Harris’ campaign, not a voice for working-class voters. In Michigan, a state Republican Party spokesperson working with the Trump campaign recently called the Minnesota governor “a Midwesterner who hates the Midwest.”
“Michiganders will not be fooled by his fake camo hat, donut-eating dog and pony show,” added spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita.
But Harris’ decision to add Walz to the Democratic ticket has so far been dwarfed by Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, according to a recent poll from USA TODAY Network partner Detroit Free Press. appears to be more helpful to voters than President Trump’s move to endorse . Another poll showed Harris-Waltz narrowly leading Trump and Vance in Michigan, but the state’s 15 most important electoral votes are still at stake in November.
On Tuesday, Walz will face off against Vance in a vice presidential debate in New York City, but the interaction there will be a far cry from the friendly encounters he has had with voters on the campaign trail or in his home state. It’s going to be different. While supporting Harris’ policies and campaign promises, he has to defend his own shortcomings, including criticism of his leadership in the aftermath of the unrest and protests after the killing of George Floyd in police custody. Probably not.
Both vice presidential candidates will be on a mission Tuesday and into next month to appeal to America’s still-undecided voters, especially in battleground states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Effective messengers and ineffective messages
Earlier this month, USA TODAY spoke with many attendees at Trump City Hall in Flint, but when asked about Walz, they quickly sidestepped the Minnesota governor’s role in the campaign, instead referring to the Democratic presidential candidate. directly criticized.
But John Nagy, 61, told USA TODAY that he thinks it’s telling why Harris chose Walz as her running mate over other politicians like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. spoke.
“Here we have a Jewish American who is very popular in a very important battleground state and I think we need her to win or to be competitive,” Nagy said of Shapiro. “I think Ms. Walz is emphasizing the far left of her policies. She could have chosen someone more centrist.”
Nagy added. “(Shapiro) is Jewish and there’s a lot of (anti-)Semitic stuff going on in the country, and you chose Waltz? That’s very noticeable. And he’s going back to the center. In a way, as far as I’m concerned, it pushed her to the extreme left.”
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During his presidential campaign, Walz often repeats the mantra “Mind your own business” when opposing Republican policies on issues including abortion. But Nagy said Walz’s governing style in Minnesota, including banning books with LGBTQ+ themes, providing menstrual products in all schools and signing laws that would ban protections for abortion rights, was because he He said it proves contrary to the Midwestern morals he claims are so important.
Nagy, like Walz, is a hunter and a veteran. But these similarities don’t mean Waltz reflects Midwestern ideals, he says.
Read more: Democrats hope to use conservative values to win support from moderates
“I think you have working-class people, they just want to work hard and take care of their families, and they have policies that dictate what other people do and what they want to do. Once you start, I think it undermines your case,” said Nagy, a Flint native and avid Trump supporter.
ride the middle line
For Bethan Sampson, a third-year theater major at the University of Michigan-Flint, the economy is the top issue in this year’s vote, and it’s critical that someone who understands fiscal struggles be elected prime minister. Mr. Sampson, who was born and raised in the Flint suburb of Grand Blanc, said Mr. Walz stands out in contrast to other modern politicians, who he believes are less adept at addressing basic economic issues. He said he is doing so.
“I can’t bear to see people who have no idea what our lives are like right now telling us what to do to fix it,” said the 20-year-old. he told USA TODAY.
Sampson said Walz’s working-class background and limited financial portfolio could make a difference. Sampson, who works three different jobs while maintaining her status as a full-time student, said Harris’ running mate struck her as a normal American.
More: ‘We feel seen’: Tim Walz wins Democratic National Committee seat, Midwest Democrats in the spotlight
“He represents ideals that people on both sides can relate to and feel,” she said.
Shortly after he joined Harris’ ticket, internet memes about Walz’s relationship with his son went viral, with users joking about common traits and anecdotes that they thought were validating for the father of two.
“I think a lot of younger generations can probably relate to him as an authority figure, like their father,” Sampson said. “He also supports guns, but I feel like he recognizes that there needs to be reform in that regard.”
In 2023, Walz signed a universal background check law and a red flag law in Minnesota, allowing law enforcement to intervene when an individual is at risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm. Sampson said that as an older white man who hunts and has a history of successfully advocating for reform, Walz is an effective messenger for pushing for federal regulation.
But Walz faced backlash for exactly this move and for changing his stance on guns, which led to him being given an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association instead of an “A” rating. His tone changed after the deadliest mass shooting in modern history at a Las Vegas music festival in 2017.
Walz addressed this contradiction in his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Look, I know guns. I’m a veteran and I’m a hunter. I’m a better shooter than most Republicans in Congress and I’ve got the trophies to prove it,” Walz said. he said in August. “But I’m also a father. I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe that our first responsibility is to keep our children safe.”
‘what goes around comes around’
As a running mate, Walz has already spent a lot of time in battleground states like Michigan. He visited East Lansing and Grand Rapids just last month, and is practicing for the vice presidential debate in the small resort town of Harbor Springs.
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On Saturday, he stopped by the college town of Ann Arbor to watch the University of Michigan vs. University of Minnesota football game.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told USA TODAY, “Tim is a guy you want to tailgate with or get into a fight with because he’s a happy warrior.” . She added that Walz’s ability to relate to voters at all levels, especially in battleground states, will be key in close elections.
“He’s down to earth, hard working, public and quick to laugh,” Whitmer added. Whitmer is a 53-year-old two-term governor whose name was bandied about as Harris’ running mate earlier this summer. I removed myself from consideration. “And he’s going to fight for what’s important.”
Waltz’s personality traits are one that appeals to Johnny Williams, a 71-year-old dishwasher with a thick Southern accent who considers himself a true Midwesterner. Williams, who was born in Georgia and has traveled across the country for years, said he first fell in love with the sense of community when he moved to Ann Arbor and then fell in love with Midwest football.
Williams has worked in restaurants most of his life and told USA TODAY that he has seen the best and worst of humanity at the 24-hour Fleetwood Diner. But as much as he still enjoys watching politics, he said what happened on the job has deepened his love for the country.
“Every day is a challenge,” Williams said. “It means that no matter what the other person says, you can still get along.”
Williams said he’s not worried about whether Walz, a nice guy, will make it through the presidential race and all the way to Washington, D.C. He argued that kindness can take someone far and that Waltz has karma on his side.
“He will survive,” he said. “what goes around comes around.”
— Sam Woodward is USA TODAY’s Minnesota election reporting fellow, focusing on the candidacy of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Please contact swoodward@gannett.com.