Meredith College political scientist David McLennan on the state of the presidential race

News & Views

Political scientist and pollster David McLennan

Just weeks after President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection and hours after she formally secured the nomination of the Democratic Party as its presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate this past week. It’s the Harris campaign’s hope that Walz’s everyman appeal and record as a military vet will appeal to voters in several states in the Midwest and South.

Will it work? As we learned in a conversation after the announcement with Meredith College political science professor and pollster David McLennan, it’s too early to say whether the Harris-Walz ticket is bound for victory, but it does appear that the Democrats have very quickly made up significant ground on GOP nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance.