Harris-Walz: A Platform for the People

September 1, 2024

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It’s no surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris features Beyoncé’s “Freedom” at campaign rallies. With permission from the artist, the cathartic anthem graced Harris’ first campaign ad, in which she says, “There are some people who think that we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us? We choose something different: We choose freedom.”

In the weeks since President Joe Biden relinquished his bid for a second term, Harris’ team has quickly rolled out a hip social media campaign, including cheeky nods to Charli XCX’s album Brat and Chappell Roan’s “Midwest princess” moniker.

Pop music and accompanying memes have helped Harris ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket in the minds of left-leaning online communities as she became the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.  

Artists like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar continue to enrapture younger listeners—both scored culture-shifting chart-toppers this year with “Texas Hold ’Em” and “Not Like Us,” respectively—but they now appeal to a broader voter age range than they have in past presidential election cycles. Lamar, by virtue of his age and material, may be the hip-hop elder statesman who can reach scores of voters across age demographics.

Tackling the Tough Issues

In 2019, Harris unveiled her own health care plan which called for expanding Medicare access to all Americans and setting up a 10-year transition period that would automatically enroll newborns and the uninsured. This would allow doctors time to enter the system and help employers choose from federally designated programs.

Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate is making health care a front-burner issue. Minnesota is home both to the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group, and the prestigious Mayo Clinic.

Harris is a strong proponent of reproductive rights, becoming the first vice president to visit a clinic run by Planned Parenthood, while Walz, in March, signed legislation to codify abortion rights in the state. He has also championed fertility treatments, sharing his personal story of how he and his wife, Gwen, relied on them to conceive.

In 2020, Walz capped out-of-pocket insulin costs to $35 a month for eligible residents with an urgent need for the medication. Two years later, President Biden did the same for all Medicare patients.

In July, inflation fell to below 3% for the first time in nearly three and a half years, according to the Labor Department, but high prices of groceries and consumer goods remain well above their prepandemic levels, and are front and center for voters.

Harris’ four-year housing plan would promote the construction of 3 million new housing units, provide substantial down-payment aid to first-time homebuyers, and strip away tax incentives for corporate investors that purchase single-family homes and drive up prices to pad their bottom lines. Harris’ housing plan calls for providing up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance to working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home.

Building on President Joe Biden’s push to cap egregious rent hikes, Harris has pledged to take on corporate landlords. She is expected to urge Congress to pass a pair of bills that would crack down on price setting by big landlords and bar large corporate investors from taking advantage of tax breaks.

Policies that Help Workers

Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz is a heartland governor who has championed the working class. He’s delivered on core economy issues. He has a record of shepherding measures like childcare and paid leave through the Minnesota state legislature. He’s passed legislation providing free meals for all students, regardless of income, and supported paid family and medical leave.  

Observers note that Walz takes policies out of the left-right divide and gets people to agree. During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, he said, “The idea that you’re somehow more fiscally responsible by not investing in education, health care, and transportation makes a nice political talking point—but it makes no sense. Not when we could have a better educated, healthier workforce that lives longer and contributes more to the economy. That’s what a forward-leaning, vibrant Minnesota economy looks like.”

Walz, a former public school teacher, coach, and union member, joined a United Auto Workers picket line last year during its high-profile contract dispute with the Big Three car companies. He has supported new Minnesota laws targeting large health care mergers and so-called credit card junk fees.

He also signed a substantial tax cut for individuals and companies, contributing to CNBC ranking Minnesota the sixth best state for business. Walz is known as the “education governor” because he has been an unwavering champion for public school students and educators and an ally for working families and unions. He gave teachers greater negotiating power over class sizes so they can give students the attention they need. 

Walz’s “all-American” story and Harris’—as the child of immigrants growing up to become a state attorney general, a senator, and now a presidential candidate—deserve to be celebrated. Both are focused on justice, fair play, safeguarding unions, and the rights of everyone.

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