Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate Gov. Tim Walz energized voters in Philadelphia Tuesday as the Democratic ticket started its push to sway voters in critical states.

“This is probably the time of the campaign where you’re going to get the most focus on the vice-presidential nominee,” said Tim Lynch, a University of St. Thomas political science professor. “Vice presidents don’t tend to get a lot of attention or move things that much but in a lot of ways he brings a lot of the same electoral strengths to the ticket that President Biden brought in 2020.”

Lynch believes Walz will appeal to working-class, rural residents, especially those who are white.

Walz and Harris will visit key battleground states, starting in Wisconsin before visiting Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.

“In some ways Governor Walz has become a sort of overnight sensation and they are going to look for that to continue and for him to be a kind of mouthpiece for the campaign,” said Lynch.

Walz will likely emphasize his background as a teacher, football coach, Army National Guard member for more than 20 years, upbringing in Nebraska, and experiences as a Minnesota congressmember and governor.

“Certainly, he balances Vice President Harris’ strengths and weaknesses,” said Kathryn Pearson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. “Very different backgrounds, parts of the country, demographics so even though they’re the same age, they’ve lived very different lives that led them up to their careers in public service.”

She calls the next stop in Wisconsin “extremely important”.

“People will really be tuning in to learn about him in the coming days on this very important campaign trail,” said Pearson. “To the extent that vice presidential candidates can matter, they can bring energy to the ticket, they can bring enthusiasm to the ticket and Walz could bring that energy and enthusiasm in particular in the Midwest.”