♪♪♪ >> CATHY: THIS WEEK JOURNALISTS AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE BEEN LEARNING HOW TO CORRECTLY PRONOUNCE THE NAME OF OUR GOVERNOR - WALZ, NOT WALTZ.

WASHINGTON POST POLITICAL REPORTER AARON BLAKE DOES NOT NEED A CRASH COURSE.

HE IS A NATIVE MINNESOTAN WHO COVERED WALZ WHEN HE RAN FOR CONGRESS THE FIRST TIME.

SO PLEASED THAT AARON BLAKE JOINS US VIA ZOOM.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Cathy: WELL, WHEN YOU AND I TALKED ON MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT YOUR PODCAST, YOU HAD SAID AT THE TIME THAT YOU THOUGHT THAT TIM WALZ WAS A DARK HORSE, AND IT APPEARS THAT THAT HORSE IS NOW SADDLED UP AND RUNNING DOWN THE TRACK HERE, AARON.

WAS WALZ, THAT CHOICE, A GOOD STRATEGIC ONE?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S EEN REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE IN THIS PROCESS, I THINK MORE THAN A LOT OF OTHER RECENT PROCESSES, THERE WERE A LOT OF CANDIDATES WHO WERE MODERATE, CAME FROM SWING STATES, HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS IN THOSE STATES.

I THINK THAT TIM WALZ IS LESS IN THE MOLD OF THOSE CANDIDATES, BUT HE'S NOT A NONPRAGMATIC PICK, YOU KNOW.

THIS IS SOMETHING WHO WAS, OF COURSE, ELECTED SIX TIMES IN A CONSERVATIVE-LEANING SOUTHERN MINNESOTA DISTRICT, HE HAS SHOWN THAT HE CAN WIN, INCLUDING IN 016, WHEN TRUMP CARRIED THE DISTRICT BY 15 POINTS.

HE HAS A MORE PROGRESSIVE RECORD THAN A LOT OF THESE OTHER POTENTIAL VICE PRESIDENTIAL PICKS.

BUT I THINK WHAT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN SEES IN HIM IS SOMEBODY THAT'S SHOWN THAT HE CAN TAKE SOME OF THESE PROGRESSIVE POSITIONS AND SELL THEM TO A LARGER AUDIENCE.

THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT THEY SAW IN THOSE HOUSE CAMPAIGNS, HOW HE WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE FOR THOSE SIX TERMS IN THE HOUSE AND THEY WANT HIM TO BRING THAT TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TRAIL, IN ADDITION TO THE THINGS THAT HE GOT DONE AS GOVERNOR.

>> Eric: TEMPORARY SUGAR HIGH OR SUSTAINABLE FOR THE DEMOCRATS, THE LEVEL OF ENTHUSIASM?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO SUSTAIN ANYTHING THROUGH THREE MONTHS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE LEFT NOW.

AND I WOULD SAY, THOUGH, THAT THE WAY THE DEMOCRATS ARE FEELING ABOUT THIS ELECTION RIGHT NOW, AND EVEN AFTER GOVERNOR WALZ WAS PICKED AS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS' RUNNING MATE, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY FELT AT ANY POINT BEFORE IN THIS LECTION CYCLE.

THEY HAVE EASON TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR VOTERS ARE NOW MOBILIZED, THEY HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SWING VOTERS ARE GIVING THEM A SECOND LOOK, AND ALL OF HAT'S BORNE OUT IN THE POLLS RIGHT NOW.

WE SEE VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND HER TICKET DOING BETTER THAN PRESIDENT BIDEN HAD DONE IN A LONG TIME.

WE SEE THEM LEADING WITHIN THE MARGIN OF ERROR IN MOST POLLS.

AND, SO, I THINK THAT THAT HAD A LITTLE BIT OF AN IMPACT ON THIS CHOICE.

IF YOU THINK THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE UP SOME GROUND, YOU GO WITH A MORE PRAGMATIC PICK, SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING TO WIN YOU A KEY STATE LIKE PENNSYLVANIA, LIKE ARIZONA.

WITH THIS PICK, I THINK THEY WENT WITH MORE OF A GOVERNING PICK, SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING TO BE A GOOD PARTNER IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND WHO THEY FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH ON A POLICY FRONT.

>> Cathy: I WONDER, YOU KNOW, WALZ SEEMS LIKE A GUY YOU WANT TO HAVE A BEER WITH.

MIGHT THEY BE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT TO RELATE TO A SPECIFIC KIND OF DEMOGRAPHIC?

>> YEAH, I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONING AMONG, YOU KNOW, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD POLITICAL ANALYSTS, AT LEAST THE ONES THAT I I PAY ATTENTION TO, LIKE WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK SOMEBODY LIKE JOSH SHAPIRO IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHO WON IN 2022 BY 14 SAINTS IN A SWING STATE, WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK MARK KELLY WHO WON TWO SENATE AISES -- RACES IN ARIZONA, ANOTHER SWING STATE.

SOMEONE WHO HAS PROVEN THAT THEY CAN APPEAL TO THE MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD VOTERS IN THESE KEY STATES.

I THINK WITH GOVERNOR WALZ, THE IDEA IS THAT HE HAS THAT PERSONAL APPEAL.

HE MAY NOT HAVE THE ELECTORAL RECORD, AT LEAST RECENTLY THAT SOME OF HESE OTHERS DO IN THESE SWING STATES, BUT HE'S SOMEBODY WHO KIND OF APPEALS ON A MORE PERSONAL, ALMOST VISCERAL LEVEL.

HE HAS THAT -- THOSE KINDS OF SENSIBILITIES THAT VOTERS IN, ESPECIALLY MIDWESTERN STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MIGHT BE ABLE TO APPRECIATE.

AND MAYBE THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN THE NUMBERS THAT HE'S RUN UP IN HIS ELECTIONS, ALTHOUGH HE'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL THERE, TOO.

BUT IT'S KIND OF A BELIEF THAT HIS BRAND AND THE PERSON HE IS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO COMPLEMENT THIS TICKET.

>> Eric: OU WROTE ABOUT THE TRUMP NEWS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK.

BASICALLY SAYING THERE'S NO COHERENT CASE BEING GIVEN AGAINST THE HARRIS/WALZ TICKET.

CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT FOR US?

>> YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE DEMOCRATS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR TICKET, WHEN THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN, A LOT OF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT HE WAS OLDER AND THAT WAS A CONCERN FOR VOTERS, BUT A LOT OF IT WAS ALSO THAT HE JUST WASN'T OUT THERE AS MUCH.

AND WHEN HE WAS MESSAGING ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN AND ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, IT WASN'T ALWAYS A VERY COHERENT MESSAGE.

IT WASN'T CONSISTENT.

IT WASN'T REPEATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

IT JUST WASN'T DEFINING HIS OP NEBT -- OPPONENT.

I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT A LITTLE BIT ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE.

SO WHEN DONALD TRUMP CAME OUT ON THURSDAY, DID THIS PRESS CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS HIS FIRST PUBLIC EVENT, BIG PUBLIC EVENT SINCE THE WEEKEND, WE DIDN'T SEE HIM KIND OF LAND ON A VERY CONSISTENT MESSAGE THAT POINTED TO THE POLICIES OF GOVERNOR WALZ AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS.

AND, SO, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE REPUBLICANS RIGHT NOW ARE STARTING TO GRAPPLE WITH A LITTLE BIT, LIKE THEY NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE BALL, ESPECIALLY GIVEN VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS' CAMPAIGN SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN RISING.

BUT AT LEAST RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SAY THAT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS MIGHT HAVE CHOSEN A MORE PROGRESSIVE RUNNING MATE, BUT UNLESS YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THAT, IT'S GOING TO BE A HARDER ARGUMENT TO MAKE.

>> Cathy: AARON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING SOME OF YOUR FRIDAY WITH US.

WE APPRECIATE T.