It’s not just you. America also prefers Democrat Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance. In fact, Walz is the most popular candidate in the race according to new polling, showing him a net 31 points ahead of JD Vance.
Walz is flying with a +10 favorability rating in a new Blueprint poll, as 44% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Coach, as he’s called on the trail, while just 34% have an unfavorable opinion of him.
JD Vance, on the other hand, is an anchor on the anchor of joy, with a -21 favorability rating as just 35% voters have a favorable opinion of him while 56% have an unfavorable opinion of him.
This new polling comes after Republicans have spent weeks attacking Walz. One of their brightest ideas was to call him “Tampon Tim,” because he ordered that menstruation necessities be available in high school bathrooms. This backfired as people expressed how much they would have appreciated having access to needed materials when they were in school and basically revealed the bro ticket of Rapey and Creepy to be as out of touch with humanity as one would expect, given the sorts of things they’ve said and done.
Their other bright idea was to have the ticket topped by a man accused of being a draft dodger accused by four of his senior administration officials of calling those who died in service to our country “suckers and losers” attack the 24 years of Tim Walz‘ service in the national guard. This didn’t turn out so well for them because even Republicans who served with Walz have nothing but good things to say about him as a leader and a person, even though they disagree with his policies. And that point right there gets to the heart of what I suspect is behind Tim Walz’s popularity: He’s the friendly neighbor, he’s the teacher we turned to in high school, he’s the gregarious nice guy at the BBQ with whom you can disagree and still really like.
Walz is, in other words, the antidote to the divisiveness of Trumpism.
The polling company cites his popularity as being related to “many of the vice presidential nominee’s accomplishments—such as giving free lunch to public school students, cutting taxes on the middle class, capping insulin prices expanding healthcare access, and cracking down on junk fees—make them more likely to see him in a positive light,” as well as the positive association with him as a “veteran” “teacher” “experienced” and “friendly.”
They also note that voters see him as more moderate than JD Vance, and mention “the poll found that the most effective responses are ones that include pivots to attacking Republicans on healthcare, Social Security, and taxes.”
The popular Minnesota Governor will introduce himself to the nation on Wednesday night at the DNC, as the Democrat vice presidential nominee part of the “Joy” ticket.
The joy of the Harris-Walz ticket is resonating with voters in a major way after nine years of the doom and gloom fear sludge of Trumpism.
The Harris-Walz freedom-joy combo is the exact opposite of the controlling, autocratic malevolence of Trump-Vance. Historians have long suggested that in order to fight encroaching autocracy, pro-democracy forces need to show democracy working effectively, which is what President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have spent the last almost 4 years doing.
Now, voters are ready for the vibe alternative to oppression and division and Harris-Walz are offering it. Even with all of these good polls, it needs to be understood that they are the underdogs who came into this race weeks ago. There is a lot of work to be done if America wants to actually elect people they like, admire and trust.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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