Kamala is kicking herself for picking Walz. But there’s no going back now.
And Tim Walz made a boneheaded mistake that is humiliating Democrats.
In a last-minute bid to boost support among male voters, vice-presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., teamed up with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for a Twitch session playing Madden NFL on Sunday, hoping to tap into a different demographic.
“Sundays are for football! Game on, AOC,” Walz posted on X.
The two Democrats went live during NFL Sunday games, blending casual gaming with campaign chatter aimed at energizing younger voters.
Ocasio-Cortez kicked things off, sharing that Walz had approached her weeks ago about doing a live-stream. They settled on Madden since he’s a former football coach and has played the game with his kids.
Walz, donning a camouflage Minnesota Vikings cap, joined the session en route to a campaign event in Nevada. Between passes and plays, the duo fired shots at former President Trump and underscored the stakes of Democrats retaining the House and Senate.
“We don’t all share the same politics, we don’t all share the same views, but the need to defeat Trump this year has been my number one priority,” Ocasio-Cortez said, signaling the Democrats’ intense focus on blocking Trump’s return.
During the live-stream, Walz dangled the possibility of a prominent role for Ocasio-Cortez if he and Kamala Harris secure victory.
“We’re gonna win this election. We’re gonna make you put a gavel in your hand in the House,” he assured her.
The conversation soon drifted to the Senate filibuster, a legislative hurdle Democrats often criticize. Walz hinted at its removal, with Ocasio-Cortez quick to agree. “Oh yeah, we gotta get rid of that thing,” she said.
Meanwhile, Harris has advocated ending the filibuster to enact progressive legislation, such as Roe v. Wade protections in 2022 and the Green New Deal in 2019—points she’s using to appeal to her base but struggling to broaden with more moderate and male voters.
The pair also discussed Social Security, a policy they personally connect with.
“Gov. Tim Walz and I both lost our dads when we were teenagers. A lot of people don’t know that Social Security also helps you if you lose a spouse (or parent, if you’re a kid). It’s so important we defend and expand it,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on X after the stream.
Walz recently spotlighted his mother’s dependency on Social Security at a North Carolina rally, casting Trump as out-of-touch.
“He [Trump] doesn’t give a damn if his Social Security check comes or not,” Walz argued, promising tax cuts for millions under Harris’s leadership.
The game wrapped after one half, with Walz as the Vikings and Ocasio-Cortez as the Bills, ending in a 0-0 tie before Walz headed to a “Latinos con Harris-Walz” rally and watch party in Las Vegas with Congress members Steven Horsford and Teresa Leger Fernandez.
The Harris-Walz campaign has emphasized outreach to male voters through their “Athletes for Harris” program, backed by NBA stars like Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Magic Johnson.
But recent polls suggest Harris continues to struggle with this demographic; an NBC poll showed Trump leading Harris 56% to 40% among men, and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell recently pointed out Harris’s challenges in this key voting bloc.
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