Smart and strategic choice

Wisconsin young adults say Walz is a smart and strategic choice

From CNN's Eva McKend

On the heels of Vice President Harris’ first campaign stop in the Midwest with her running mate, the college students still in the area for the summer are eager for her visit. 

“I am a Minnesotan who came to Wisconsin for school, so I’m actually quite excited about the VP pick,” said Kirsten Jospehine Thell, who leads the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire chapter of the College Democrats.

Thell says many of her classmates come from throughout the entire region and aren’t strictly Wisconsinites. She’s very familiar with Gov. Tim Walz and his broad appeal. The 20-year-old is gearing up to work hard this fall to ensure students are registered to vote and it will be the first time she will have the opportunity to vote in a presidential race.

“People are just so excited to have someone who is Midwestern who can represent us a little bit better,” said Thell, a native of a small rural conservative community in South Central Minnesota.

Matthew Lehner, Chair of the Wisconsin College Democrats, says he’s fired up about the Democratic ticket and the most excited he’s ever been.

“I’m excited that we’ve got a Midwesterner on the ticket. And what I’m particularly excited about is that, you know, there’s a lot of students that go to school from Minnesota, who go to school at Wisconsin universities and they know their governor well, and I think that is going to translate into them getting out to vote in record numbers for this ticket,” said Lehner. 

“I do think this is a very strong strategic choice because he knows well the language that Midwesterners speak. He can campaign in these areas and connect well with folks in western Wisconsin, folks in Michigan and really make sure that we’re holding down these critical states,” he added.