Why JD Vance’s plan to follow Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on their swing-state tour is a big gamble

So Vance’s plan to lay into Harris and her running mate will be a tricky balancing act. He doesn’t have the highest standing with voters right now, and if Harris taps either Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania or Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate, she’ll have an executive by her side with real appeal among working-class voters.

Vance may struggle to define Harris’ views

Vance will be looking to draw attention to the GOP ticket when Americans will naturally want to learn more about Harris’ running mate.

It’ll be a huge fight for attention during a time when Harris could receive another polling bump based on the selection.

Republicans have sought to depict Harris as too liberal for the country and have pointed to her San Francisco Bay Area roots to make their case.

But that argument thus far hasn’t proven to be effective with voters, and Walz is laregely seen as mainstream Democratic choice.

Vance will surely hammer Harris over her past support for more liberal proposals on healthcare during her 2020 presidential campaign. But Harris now has a record as part of the administration, and she can point to populist achievements such as capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month for many Americans on Medicare.

Some voters will applaud Vance’s shadow tour of Harris’ vice-presidential rollout, while others will view it as a stunt. Either way, Vance’s itinerary shows that Democrats have all the momentum right now, and Republicans are doing whatever they can to stop it.

This story was originally published on August 5. It’s been updated with information about Harris’ pick of Walz.