Washington — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate is “the epitome of a Midwestern father” and is touting his profile as a trump card for the November election.

“You could put him at any state fair, on any main street and certainly at any Friday night football game in rural Kansas and he would fit in perfectly,” Kelly said of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Harris nominated Walz, a popular two-term governor, as her running mate last week before the two working together in the following days in seven swing states. Waltz, 60, is a former high school social studies teacher, coach, congressman and veteran. The election has won praise In much of the Democratic Party, momentum on the ballot has increased again following President Biden’s decision to step down.

When asked if Walz’s ability to appeal to the nation’s heart and rural areas had been overrated, Kelly clarified that she did not think so.

“I think we also have to remember that while Minnesota is a Democratic state, he represented a very Democratic part of Minnesota in Congress for 12 years,” Kelly noted, adding, “He understands rural Minnesota, he understands rural America, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s a great asset to the Harris-Walz team.”

Kelly, who was twice elected as a Democratic governor of a Republican state, outlined how the party can focus on winning back rural America, where some communities that were once close to Democrats have lost support in recent years. She said it’s about listening to voters and doing something for them.

“We may label everyone as red or blue, but here in Kansas, we are actually Kansans,” Kelly said. “If you’re a Democrat but you share the values ​​of most Kansas residents, you just have to go out there, talk to them, get them to know you, and you to get them, and then they develop that trust and put it in you to govern the state.”