Dan Pfeiffer: “The arguments for Shapiro and Kelly were clear. They could help deliver critical states. Walz is from Minnesota. And Republicans were making noise about Minnesota a few weeks ago when President Biden was in the race. Polling since Harris became the nominee suggests that Minnesota is no longer up for grabs. If she has to fight to hold on to Minnesota, she is toast in similar states like Michigan and Wisconsin. Shapiro could have given her a slight boost in Pennsylvania. The home state boost from the VP pick is dramatically overstated, but it is real — most estimate about a point or two. Pennsylvania was decided by less than a point in the last two presidential elections.”
“I have been a huge fan of Josh Shapiro since 2008. Like Kamala Harris, he became an early endorser of Barack Obama when most of the party establishment backed Hillary Clinton. I would not be surprised if he were President one day.”
“In picking Walz, Kamala Harris looked at something broader than winning one state. She sought a running mate to help her in all seven battleground states. Winning Pennsylvania alone is not enough to get to the White House. Presidential politics is more chess than checkers, and choosing Walz is evidence that Kamala Harris is looking at the whole board.”
