What Walz should address at the DNC

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Vice presidential nominees normally are given the role of attack dogs. But taking a bite out of the daunting challenges the next administration will face would better serve the country as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday.

Among the most daunting issues that potentially await Walz and his running mate, presidential nominee Kamala Harris, are geopolitical crises in Eastern Europe and the Mideast, where two brutal wars include extensive use of U.S. armaments. Specifically: Would a new Harris-Walz administration maintain President Joe Biden’s balance between staunchly supporting Ukraine politically while also maintaining limits to the sale and use of U.S. weapons systems? And while it’s clear that an incoming Democratic administration would continue the enduring American support of Israel, would there be a difference in policy regarding sales and use of materiel, as the throngs of protesters in Chicago are demanding?

Domestically, the Democratic ticket has highlighted its commitment to reproductive health care. So it’s time for more specifics on support of codifying abortion access protections nationwide to ensure that every woman has a right to this care no matter where she lives. Walz should also share how he and Harris plan to push this issue through Congress.

In other health care matters, they should signal a commitment to make expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies permanent. (These were enacted during the pandemic but expire in 2025. The subsidies have helped a lot of rural Minnesotans because farm families often make just above the previous income cutoff for ACA assistance.) Clarity on keeping prescription drugs affordable would resonate, too.

Health care costs, of course, are just one component of broader economic issues that voters cite as their key concern. So Walz and Harris should indicate just how far they intend to press policies that would in effect be close to price controls, and whether they understand the potential adverse economic ramifications of such an intervention.

The climate crisis means that every candidate for federal office should offer detailed policies on the environment. The ticket already offers a sharp contrast with Trump-era policies, but more details on how Harris/Walz would differ from Biden’s directives would help voters, too. Same with issues of law and order, including enforcement and reform when it comes to migration at America’s southern border.

While these and so many other policies will reflect an administration that would be led by Harris, Walz should do some defining of his own. Sure, he’ll reprise his requisite resume details, but beyond that, who is Walz politically? The more moderate type he hewed to while representing the First District in Congress? Or the more liberal type he demonstrated once he had the majority power to execute it in Minnesota as governor? Or is he malleable to the moment (which is not necessarily a bad thing)?

Since Walz would be a heartbeat away from the presidency, voters should also be looking for him to demonstrate that he’s equipped to step into that role. What’s his management style in a crisis? (This issue is especially salient given his role in responding to the riots in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd as well as the ongoing Feed Our Future graft scandal.) What breadth does he have in presidential policy awareness? If there are gaps, is he a quick study, and does he use advisers well?