Can Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz Win Over Rural Voters?

2024-10-25 22:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Tim Walz

Tim Walz served two terms as governor of Minnesota before being selected as the Democratic nominee for vice president. In electoral activities, he mentions his beginnings in Nebraska and how it influenced his formation as a person, as a candidate for election and as governor. VOA correspondent Natasha Mozgovaya visited the state of Nebraska to see first-hand what its residents think of Mr. Walz.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spent the first half of his life in a rural part of Nebraska…about a five-hour drive from the nearest major airport. Here, the most prominent features of the landscape are often granaries. Some people here see a part of themselves in the vice presidential candidate.

" When I see him on television, he doesn't look like a politician. He resembles my favorite teacher at school because he is truly dedicated to his community and his students. And he really has high moral values" , says farmer Becky Potmesil.

Mr. Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, and spent his childhood in Valentine, population 2,600... a town not known for political figures.

" We have followed Tim's career, maybe somewhat from a distance. This step (running for vice president)... we didn't think it would happen!", says Tom Elliot, a resident of Valentine.

When Mr. Walz was a teenager, his father's diagnosis of lung cancer prompted the family to move 100 miles (160 km) north, where they had other relatives.

“ I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people. In high school, there were 24 students in the class ," says Mr. Walz.

Relatives of Mr. Walz still live in the area. His uncle, retired farmer Jerome Reiman, says he plans to vote for his nephew, but adds he's a little worried the small-town boy he remembers might be too nice to deal with. with the challenges of the big world.

" He was just an ordinary guy. I mean he was a good guy. He liked sports. Mine won't be tough enough on Putin; that worries me ," says Mr. Reiman.

Growing up in rural areas, Mr. Walz was fond of fishing and hunting, and he makes no secret of his love of guns. The symbolism of his camouflage hat was embraced by a group of activists for rural Democrats.

" I think camouflage clothing, hunting, represents Nebraska ," says Democratic activist Barbara Critchett.

Following in the footsteps of his father, a Korean War veteran, Mr. Walz entered the National Guard at age 17 and served for 24 years.

But for some rural voters, military service and a history of gun ownership don't mean Mr. Walz shares their values.

" No, it doesn't even come close. Blatant Lie // This is a right guaranteed by the second amendment to the constitution -- I'm not asking to take his gun away like they're trying to do with us! " says Valentine resident Stephen Hale.

Mr. Walz also supports abortion rights, which puts him at odds with many residents in conservative Nebraska, where some churches have memorials to aborted babies and the landscape is littered with anti-abortion signs.

" The most important issue for me has always been pro-life. Anyone who is pro-life will get my vote. He won't get my vote ," said West Point resident Michael Wartmen.

Mr. Walz graduated from Chadron State College, in a town where former President Donald Trump appears to be popular. The college administration recently had to remove his campaign banner after someone planted it next to the American flag on campus.

Chadron's Miles Bannan says Tim Walz's local roots don't necessarily translate into support.

" There are many families who do not talk much about politics, because there are many disagreements. And I think there are a lot of people who are encouraged by it, but it might not change the way they vote ," Chadron resident Miles Bannan said.

Some here say Mr. Walz is giving rural Nebraska a moment of national recognition. But in this conservative American state, common roots are no guarantee of votes./ VOA