RICHMOND, Va. -- In Carytown — Richmond's charming shopping district — you would be hard-pressed to find someone with more in common with Tim Walz than Amy Skretta, who was back-to-school shopping with her son.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota and now the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, is a former schoolteacher.
"Minnesotan" and "former teacher" are two boxes Skretta also checks, as she spent her childhood and early adult life in Minnesota.
She said Walz's background as a public school educator and football coach makes him relatable, beyond his political resume.
“I was a teacher for 9 years. When you’re in the trenches, you understand what the trenches are like. Because of his background, he knows what the trenches are like," Skretta said.
Virginia Democrats like Skretta are lining up behind the Harris-Walz ticket. Skretta said Virginia Democrats are feeling a wave of energy since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race a few weeks ago and endorsed Harris.
Even if Walz is viewed as a safe VP pick, Skretta said it is the latest example of her party honing in this race on helping people.
“All of a sudden we have that H-word back in the picture again. We have hope," she said. “Everyone else has just been like — oh this guy? He’s terrible. No, this one, he’s bad — no one is actually talking about the issues and what they’ll do to help.”
CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth said the strategy behind pick is linked to his folksy, Midwestern style.
Holsworth said Harris likely feels Walz can connect with voters in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, but he doubts many Virginia voters will be swayed by the pick.
"I think Tim Walz may be the perfect do no harm choice," Holsworth said. “We probably haven’t had a vice presidential candidate who’s done cafeteria duty in quite some time.”
"It’s really going to be a choice between Trump and Harris," Holsworth continued. "We saw some polls a month ago when Biden was the potential nominee that looked very, very close in Virginia. Most people think that Harris will probably pull ahead, but we’re going to have to see the polling come around Labor Day to see whether or not Virginia is going to be a competitive state.”
Meanwhile, Virginia Republicans are connecting Walz to policies they call socialism.
“Kamala Harris is bad for America and Tim Walz would be even worse. They're dangerously liberal, ineffective, and support criminals over law enforcement," said 5th District GOP Congressional nominee John McGuire in a statement sent to the press.
The Democratic National Convention will be held on August 19 in Chicago.
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