Wearing a camouflage Vikings hat, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended a Madden NFL 25 game Sunday with New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to talk about the election.
“Are you going to play ball? Are you ready?” Walz warned his audience, who were watching via streaming platform Twitch, that he was prepared to lose. Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, played for the Buffalo Bills, while Walz, a former high school football coach, played for the Vikings.
He and Ocasio-Cortez spoke about Walz’s stint in Congressional politics before becoming governor and the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee. They compared the House of Representatives to a “public school” and the Senate to a “private school.” The House of Representatives is where the nation’s policy is shaped, and Walz said he would be proud to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, a signature accomplishment of President Biden’s administration.
When the topic turned to the Senate and its procedures, Walz deliberately told Ocasio-Cortez: ”
“Oh yeah, that has to be removed,” Ocasio-Cortez responded.
Ocasio-Cortez was an early advocate of lifting the filibuster several years ago. Vice President Kamala Harris said in September that she supports ending the filibuster that codifies Roe v. Wade. After the broadcast, a source close to Walz’s campaign said that Walz “shares the vice president’s position.”
Walz and Ocasio-Cortez played a scoreless first half of Sunday’s Bills-Vikings-Madden matchup, but they discussed housing policy and she may be unhappy with the large amount of political funding. I asked Walz about the voters who don’t. Or depending on the Biden administration’s position on the Gaza war. According to Twitch, about 12,500 people watched Ocasio-Cortez’s channel.
“The people who are most frustrated need to see things get done,” Walz said, without directly mentioning the Middle East wars.
They also discussed the importance of building coalitions. In addition to motivating core Democratic voters, Ms. Harris’ presidential campaign is seeking to appeal to Republicans turned off by former President Donald J. Trump. The Twitch stream was part of a broader effort by the Harris campaign to reach men, especially young men.
“If Governor Walz didn’t appreciate the power of the coalition here, I don’t think he would have jumped here,” said Ocasio-Cortez, who has become the Harris team’s emissary to skeptical young progressives. spoke.
The stream ended with Waltz showing Ocasio-Cortez his favorite game, “Crazy Taxi,” which he plays on his Sega Dreamcast. The name aptly described Mr. Walz’s driving style, which was like a taxi driver picking up fares while driving on the wrong side of the road.
“Is this how you drive in real life?” Ocasio-Cortez quipped.
Before closing, Walz noted the unique nature of this moment.
“Do you think the vice president played a game?” Mr. Walz asked. “I don’t think Dan Quayle was playing the game.”
Mr. Walz then left the creek and headed to a local Mexican restaurant to watch some real soccer. The Las Vegas Raiders were playing.
