If you follow American politics at all, you probably know that Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, was a high school teacher and football coach.
Posted at 1:38 a.m.
Updated at 6:00 a.m.
What you may not know, however, is that the man who could become vice president-elect of the United States this week is also a champion of the environment. If we don’t hear much about it, it’s no coincidence: from a strategic point of view, the Democrats have no interest in portraying Tim Walz as a green giant.
Let’s start with the assessment of Kamala Harris’ running mate. Karine Prémont, deputy director of the Observatory on the United States of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair and professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke, distinguishes two periods in the political career of the vice-presidential candidate .
The first takes place from 2006 to 2018, when Tim Walz represents a Minnesota agricultural district in the House of Representatives. It was difficult, at that time, to detect any acute environmental concern in him.
Walz represented a very rural district. The environment was not an issue he paid much attention to. He was especially concerned with agricultural issues and those affecting veterans.
Karine Prémont, professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke
In 2014, Tim Walz even voted with the Republicans for the construction of KeyStone XL, this oil pipeline which was to connect Canada to the United States. The project was abandoned in 2021 after Joe Biden withdrew a crucial permit on his very first day as president of the United States.
It was during the second period of Tim Walz’s career, when he became governor of Minnesota in 2019, that the environment took a central place in his policies. How to explain this change?
“He is someone who has evolved both according to the interests of the population he represents and the position of the Democratic Party on this issue,” replies Professor Karine Prémont. Mr. Walz often says he is interested in facts. And that when the facts change, you have to change your position. »
His legacy as governor has two big pieces. The first is Minnesota’s adoption of California’s vehicle standards. They set pollution limits for vehicles and require all new SUVs, cars and vans sold from 2035 to be zero-emission.
The three American west coast states and several New England states have adopted California standards. Quebec too, and it even improved them. But in the entire American Midwest, Minnesota is the only one to have followed California.
Tim Walz’s other major environmental policy is the commitment to make all of Minnesota’s electricity generation carbon neutral by 2040.
An ambitious promise: 46% of the state’s electricity production still comes from fossil fuels (natural gas or coal).
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“He was among the most proactive governors on the environment,” observes Karine Prémont.
The nomination of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ running mate aroused the enthusiasm of environmentalists last August.
” YES !!! This is *the* climate choice. Tim Walz presents the best climate record of all the vice-presidential candidates and is not afraid to attack big oil companies,” Jamie Henn, director of the Fossil Free Media media project, wrote on X for example.
A hidden assessment
However, Tim Walz’s environmental record is rarely highlighted during the electoral campaign. Expert Karine Prémont sees three reasons.
“First of all, the environment is not at all a central issue in this campaign. There are no gains to be made from talking about the environment, even among young people. Among 18-29 year olds, the main concern is the economy,” she says. In addition to the economy, immigration and abortion are the issues that concern American voters.
The second reason Tim Walz’s environmental record is swept under the rug can be summed up in one word: Pennsylvania.
This state could well be the key to the presidential election. However, it is the third largest coal producer in the country, after Wyoming and West Virginia.
“If we want to make gains in Pennsylvania, brandish an environmental record and present that as a sales card, I’m not sure it’s a win. It can scare a certain electorate in this state,” says Karine Prémont.
According to her, the third reason why Democrats avoid talking about the environment is to avoid recalling certain about-faces by Kamala Harris. On hydraulic fracturing, in particular, Mme Harris turned his hat around, showing support after being against. Again, the explanation lies in Pennsylvania.
“To avoid confronting the candidates with their contradictions, I think we decided not to put that at the forefront,” says Karine Prémont.
It remains to be seen if, in the event of the election of Kamala Harris, green giant Tim Walz will emerge from the shadows to tackle this crucial issue tragically evacuated from the current campaign.
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