Vice President Kamala Harris Tim WaltzWalz nominated Minnesota Democratic Governor John F. Kennedy as his running mate after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month. Walz’s recent comments about former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance, particularly those of the opposition Democratic Party, have sparked outrage. “Strange” propertieshelped propel little-known progressives to national prominence.
Before his comments on cable news went viral and Harris thrust him into the national spotlight, Walz, a former soldier, football coach and high school teacher, was in the midst of an unexpectedly ambitious and productive second term as the North Star State’s top executive. A progressive with a rural background and a penchant for coalition building, Walz navigated a shaky Democratic Party triumvirate to achieve one progressive priority after another. The biggest of these came just months before the 2022 midterm elections: Walz signed a law requiring the state’s electric utilities to get 100% of their electricity from clean sources by 2040. The law immediately put Minnesota on the fast track. Blue States with Purple Trendscatapulting it to the top of the state-level climate change action leaderboard.
“This is not about accumulating political capital for the next election,” Waltz said. I said last year“It’s about burning political capital to improve lives.” But Waltz seems to have political capital to spare. As of February, he Approval rating: 55 percent in his home state.
As governor, Walz also Bipartisan bill signed To reform the permitting process for clean energy projects in Minnesota. Clean Energy Job Training Program Approved for Minnesota’s minority and low-income populations New Clean Transportation Standardsand passed legislation to spend $240 million. State lead water pipe replacementIn other states, Republicans (and even moderate Democrats) have cast politicians overseeing ambitious climate change measures as being fixated on raising energy prices. Generally out of touch with the publicHowever, Waltz’s reputation as a common man and communication ability I could have protected him. A classic anti-climate attack.
“I think he has a really well-rounded track record on climate change,” said Paul Austin, president of the state-run environmental nonprofit Conservation Minnesota. “He’s someone who is willing to bring people together across communities and regions to find solutions that work for everyone. That’s one of his defining characteristics.”
Walz’s experience in Minnesota will be a great help to Harris as she quickly crafts a legislative agenda in light of the Biden administration’s progress. Biden’s crowning policy achievement, the Combating Inflation Act of 2022, Sending billions of dollars to states and tribes Bill for Clean Energy Projects and Deployment. It’s unlikely Congress will pass something similar in the short term, especially if Trump is reelected, but it’s a safe bet with Harris in the White House. According to a poll Whichever party controls the Senate, the House, or both, will likely have slim majorities, and much of the climate change action we see in the next few years will come from state governments.
Many states were already leading the way on climate change during the Trump administration before the Inflation Control Act was passed. But as federal clean energy incentives spread across the country, even more states are poised to put money into renewable energy and climate change. “It’s great to have someone who’s been governor and seen the other side of how the federal government works and what it accomplishes,” Austin said. “He brings a lot of experience with how states and the federal government work together and how to smooth it out and make it better.”
read more:
