MANKATO, Minn. — Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is making Tim Walz’s stereotypically masculine traits – sports fan, veteran, gun owner, and father – central to introducing him to American voters. Ta.
Visiting college and high school football games, pheasant hunting and selling camouflage hats have been consistent themes for Democrats over the past two months, and their Republican rival Donald. It is aimed at countering Trump and J.D. Vance and is aimed at the interests of the Republican Party. It’s a “sibling vote,” and its surrogates are trying to cast doubt on the 60-year-old Minnesota governor’s macho credentials.
Walz’s latest pitch came Friday on the popular sports podcast “The Rich Eisen Show,” where he ditched the political speech to brag about the Minnesota Vikings’ 5-0 record and talk about his high school defense. He recalled the glorious days when he worked as a coordinator. football team.
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“We defended our responsibility. I know it’s shocking to some people on the political side, but I’m an ultra-conservative,” he joked.
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From appearances on podcasts for jocks to jabs about “childless cat ladies” to debates over reproductive rights, the 2024 presidential campaign will appeal directly to voters around issues of gender and gender stereotypes. It’s here. The possibility that Ms. Harris will become the first female president and that Mr. Walz will step into uncharted territory as No. 2 under her command is part of the same tension seen during this White House campaign. This suggests that the department may also resonate with a potential Harris administration.
Voters certainly receive their fair share of gender-sensitive messages.
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Consider the battle over who has the more macho goods: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” that erupted after the Trump assassination attempt in July. The shirt, which depicts President Trump with his fist in the air and being dragged off the stage by the Secret Service, quickly went viral. After Mr. Walz ascended to the national stage, the Democratic campaign promoted a Harris Waltz-branded camouflage hat with bright orange lettering similar to those sold at hunting stores.
Waltz doesn’t necessarily strike every American as a natural Midwestern dad.
After seeing a short video clip of Walz fiddling with a shotgun cartridge and a photo of him unarmed on a field in southern Minnesota during last Saturday’s annual Pheasant home opener, the MAGA-affiliated Internet was surprised by his I wondered if he had a little more experience as a hunter over the years. than campaign tactics. The former Democratic U.S. congressman has long prided himself on being the top shot in the Capitol shootout, often using stump anecdotes to push for gun reform.
“He talked about it saying, ‘I’m a great hunter, I had a gun in my car,’ and then he looks at the picture and he looks like an idiot loading a shotgun.” Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told USA TODAY. “He dressed up for Halloween and was like, ‘This year I’m going to be a man.’
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Mr. Trump has particularly sought to woo young male voters.
He has appeared on “Brothers” podcasts such as comedians Theo Fung and Andrew Schultz, video game streamer Adin Roth, and Barstool Sports’ “Bussin with the Boys.” The former president and his campaign have been on the rise, from exciting appearances by Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White to President Trump threatening military action against political opponents and Vice President Vance facing widespread backlash. Even in selecting candidates, he has leaned toward a broad message of masculinity. for his past comments about childless women.
“This is just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, you look at Pete Buttigieg, you look at AOC — Democrats,” Vance said in a 2021 interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “‘s entire future is controlled by childless people.” Do we feel that we have surrendered this country to people who have no direct stake in it? ”
Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and frequent critic of President Trump, told USA TODAY that the former president’s heavy-handed approach to leadership, outdated views and treatment of women are the worst parts of masculinity. He said it represents.
“We’ve reached a point where we can show leadership and strength in ways other than fists and harsh words,” said Steele, who also served as Maryland’s lieutenant governor. “We’re not cavemen anymore. We don’t have to do that anymore.”
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Steele said Walz presents a different version of masculinity in American politics while also reaching out to voters who don’t agree with Trump and Vance’s versions of gender expression.
“What Waltz offers is perhaps a more traditional and actually appropriate view of what a ‘real man’ is. He’s a father, a coach, sometimes a disciplinarian, a car driver. He’s the guy who’s going to help you fix it,” Steele said. “I think he’s a phenomenal role model,” he added.
unsuspecting messenger
Waltz’s version of masculinity encompasses not only male-dominated spaces such as soccer fields, veterans groups, and hunting grounds, but also classrooms, pride parades, and abortion clinics.
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In a debate with Vance in New York earlier this month, Walz told the story of Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather when she was 12 years old. He also reflected on Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old Georgia woman who died in August 2022 after waiting hours for treatment for complications from abortion pills.
“In fact, how can we, as a people, say that our lives and rights as basic as the right to control our own bodies are determined by geography?” Waltz asked, “If Amber Thurman is in Minnesota… If he had lived there, there is a very high possibility that he would still be alive today.”
Amy Diehl, a sexism researcher and author of the 2023 book “Glass Walls,” told USA TODAY that men like Waltz intentionally reject the traits and beliefs commonly referred to as toxic masculinity. , said it was a “tonic” that eased the harmful stigma associated with expectations for men. And the boys.
This may also be reflected in the poll numbers.
A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Mr. Trump leading male voters by 12 points in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state that could decide who wins the White House. Another poll also found that Walz and Harris scored significantly higher points on women than Trump and Vance. More than half of the women surveyed said they had an unfavorable opinion of Vance, but only 28% said the same about Walz.
Diehl said that while she identifies more women as Democrats than men, Walz’s advocacy for women before and after entering the 2024 presidential race cannot be overlooked.
Democrat codifies abortion rights in Minnesota, speaks openly about family infertility issues, serves as the first teacher advisor for the high school gay and straight alliance, and puts menstrual products in every school bathroom He praises former teacher Walz for making this mandatory. Mr. Trump and his allies sought to turn the tide on the last policy by popularizing the Minnesota governor’s nickname, “Tampon Tim.”
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“He shows that he can be a man and not be intimidated by women who are equals or who are in positions of power,” Deal said. “In fact, you can be their cheerleader too.”
“We all experience the same emotions”
Since Walz joined the Harris campaign in August, Trump and his allies have mocked her for her exaggerated gestures, emotional speeches and constant smiles.
“Do you think you’re manly because you’re wearing a flannel shirt or camouflage? I just think it reeks of desperation,” said Trump’s former aide and now former boss. said Spicer, who hosts his own podcast that regularly promotes President Trump. Presidential election campaign.
But Walz’s assertiveness and intentional approach to gender appeal to some voters.
Even though he already voted for Trump, Philadelphia resident Tim Nguyen told USA TODAY that the former president’s abusive language and mudslinging show a tired side of “masculinity.” Ta.
Nguyen, a 26-year-old accountant, criticized politicians’ non-aggressive sentiments, including publicly sympathizing with Walz after Vance mentioned during a vice presidential debate that his teenage son witnessed a shooting. He said it was reassuring to see the expressions. Nguyen said showing non-macho feelings towards each other should be a sign of humanity, not weakness.
“They should run for president, to say the least,” he said. “I think they spoke really well and were there for each other.”
When Waltz spoke about his children at the DNC, his then 17-year-old son, Gus, jumped out of his seat, visibly crying, pointing at his father and shouting, “Dad, I love you! That’s my dad!” ” he said. After her speech, Waltz hugged her son as her family appeared on stage.
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“He has shown himself to be a loving father to his children, and he has shown himself to be a kind and neighborly person,” Diehl said. “All of these things make him empathetic to so many men in America.”
Vance, who is the father of two young children, has put his fatherhood in the spotlight, making increasing the birth rate a top talking point in the Trump campaign. The Ohio senator frequently details the struggles Americans experience to access affordable child care and agreed with Walz during the debate to increase government spending on the issue.
While Gase’s reaction in Chicago was largely positive, right-wing commentators and Trump supporters shared a different tone on social media.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a member of the USA TODAY network, reported that conservative radio host Jay Weber responded to the exchange with a post about X that has now been deleted.
“If the waltz (sic) is representative of American men today, then this country is screwed. ‘Look at Gus, son. He’s a nagging boy. His mother and I are so proud.’ I think so.”
Daniel Simpson, a University of Michigan student voting for the first time, told USA TODAY that watching the interaction between father and son was “refreshing.” Simpson said that when men are criticized for showing their emotions, “it causes a lot of mental health problems because men feel like they have to hide things like depression.”
“Men are supposed to be tough, to fight[their emotions]to be angry instead of sad,” he says. “I think that really needs to change and I think we’re all experiencing the same emotions.”
For Simpson, Walz embraces a fun approach to politics while striving to promote fairness, and has hope for the future. That’s one reason he voted early for the Harris Waltz ticket.
“To me, it shows a real man, a man who sticks to this country’s (values),” Simpson said. “The Pledge of Allegiance says “Liberty and Justice for All.”
— Sam Woodward is USA TODAY’s Minnesota election reporting fellow, focusing on the candidacy of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Contact swoodward@gannett.com.
