Football, Politics, and Polarization: Tim Walz’s Struggle for West Texas Voters
Elections & Politics #142 | By: Morgan Davidson| September 06, 2024
Featured Photo: www.calmatters.org
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If you read my previous post about voters in West Texas, you know they are crazy about high school football and vote Republican. Kamala Harris announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be her running mate for the upcoming election. Walz is a former state champion football coach, history teacher, and retired US Army National Guard Master Sergeant. In contrast, Trump’s VP pick, Senator JD Vance, is a Marine veteran, renowned author, and holds a law degree from Yale. On paper, Walz should resonate with the voters of West Texas, but does he do so in reality?
Analysis
As a Texas Tech PhD student and Teaching Assistant based in West Texas, I’m constantly engaging with the region’s conservative voters and an influx of younger, more liberal college students. My position exposes me to various political opinions, whether in class discussions, casual conversations, or simply overhearing things around campus.
While Governor Walz might seem like a candidate conservatives would generate in a lab, the reality is that he hasn’t moved the needle with West Texas voters. Conservative pundits and critics of Walz have effectively portrayed the Midwestern governor as a leftist radical. Common attacks include his support for providing free meals in Minnesota schools, his role as an advisor for Mankato West High School’s first gay-straight alliance, and, most notably, his response to the riots and protests following George Floyd’s murder.
Right-wing media love to depict Walz as a radical Marxist, but a closer look at his legislative record paints a different picture. Before becoming governor, Walz represented a Republican-leaning district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he ranked as one of the more centrist Democrats and worked frequently in a bipartisan manner. The Harris campaign has tried to highlight this centrist image, promoting his personal interests like hunting, fishing, and gun ownership.
While Walz is undeniably a Democrat, he’s far from being a radical. Yet, in today’s era of intense political polarization, conservatives—especially in places like West Texas—are more inclined to take the word of their trusted media outlets rather than evaluating the record for themselves. Walz is a solid pick to appeal to independents and moderate voters who may worry that Kamala Harris is out of step with their values. However, he is unlikely to win over deeply conservative voters.
On the other hand, JD Vance has been well-received by hardline Republicans. Voters in West Texas feel a connection to Vance, whether through his military service or his portrayal of rural struggles in “Hillbilly Elegy.” Despite his Yale law degree and Ivy League background, Vance’s personal story of overcoming family challenges and addiction resonates with them—similar to how Trump connects with voters despite being an Ivy League-educated billionaire.
That said, many voters fail to see the overlap between Vance and Walz. Both have similar backgrounds, neither is a radical leftist, and both share strong personal narratives. Yet, conservatives in West Texas give Vance a pass, while Walz is painted in a negative light. Despite the challenges Walz faces in reshaping his image due to conservative media, the upcoming VP debate on October 1st on CBS could allow him to make up some ground as he speaks directly to voters.
Engagement Resources
- Ballotpedia provides a comprehensive look at legislators’ political careers, including voting records, policies, and biographies.
- C-Spans debate archive offers video access to past presidential & vice-presidential debates, https://www.c-span.org/liveEvent/?Presidential-Debates
- DW-Nominate scores provide an analysis of legislative behavior and scale of ideology based on roll-call votes where you can see where a legislator is on the spacial left/right spectrum, https://voteview.com/data
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