After weeks of Bachelorette-level deliberation, Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has announced her running mate: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The Harris-Walz ticket has many progressives breathing a sigh of relief, as the choice of Walz over the other major contender, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, signaled an understanding that his hostility toward pro-Palestine protesters could divide voters. While Walz is also a supporter of Israel, he comes off as more sympathetic to the Palestine advocacy movement.
And of course, his apparently groundbreaking observation that many conservatives are “just weird” was bottled lightning on social media and managed to catch Republican spin doctors with their pants down (not unlike JD Vance near a couch).
This is all good news for Democrats, and really anyone who hopes that the nation’s next leader is not a convicted felon or ursine litterbug with brain worms. Walz seems like a pretty good dude, all things considered. But enough with the politics and platforms — let’s get to the real question: How are the memes?
Frankly, pretty amazing, starting with the nods to Modern Family‘s Gloria María Ramírez Pritchett (played by Sofía Vergara) and Jay Pritchett (played by Ed O’Neill) as stand-ins for Harris and Walz …
In addition to having leveraged a progressive voter base within his Midwestern state, Walz has explicitly supported reproductive freedoms, leading Minnesota to be the first state legislature to codify abortion protections into law in 2023.
And in stark contrast to his “states’ rights” counterpart, Vance, he knows how to conduct himself around a sectional.
As expected, Harris’s pick reflects a projected need to placate the “older white guy” part of the voter base. But as the memes reflect, there might be crossover appeal here to reach many other individuals, including Millennials who still enthusiastically listen to the playlist from their middle school dances.
And it’s clear his home state is ready to turn up and turn out for their rising star. The subreddit r/Minnesota burst onto the meme scene with a WrestleMania classic: Tim Walz about to absolutely crush a JD Vance caught unaware.
Let’s all take a moment to enjoy the feel-good fest while it’s happening, because there will surely be more blood, sweat, and tears on this campaign trail before all is said and done. Comedian, actor, and writer Vinny Thomas perhaps put it best, saying out loud what many of us are thinking:
