Walz, on the other hand, offered the vice president something she might not have with President Joe Biden — namely, a collegial relationship that runs deeper than political expediency. 

The Minnesota governor, as White House Reporter Naomi Lim and News Editor Marisa Schultz wrote this morning, gave Harris a weapon to deploy in hard-to-reach rural communities with a message that her ticket and her party are for everyone. 

Harris’s gamble doesn’t appear to have paid off. And Tuesday’s debate between Walz and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) was the latest example that playing the game of politics sometimes means allying with partners who give you an edge might be more important than someone who makes candidates feel comfortable. 

“The Harris campaign is adamant Walz won his debate against Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), demonstrating to the 43 million people who watched why Harris chose him,” Naomi and Marisa wrote. “But with election experts giving Vance the win for the ease of his delivery, some are openly wondering whether Harris would have been better positioned for November had Shapiro been on the ticket with her.” 

Walz and Vance have taken divergent paths to campaigning. Vance has embraced every opportunity to go toe-to-toe with challengers. He has made it a point to conduct adversarial interviews and has been pleased to match former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and tone by himself on the trail. 

On the other hand, Walz has kept his “Minnesota nice” vibes running with sparse media appearances after his rollout as the ticket mate was roiled by controversy. The lack of time in the proverbial ring showed on Tuesday and might have sent Harris and her aides looking back through their notes at why, exactly, they spurned the debate-ready Shapiro. 

“There are more than a few Democratic strategists who would feel more confident in their chances had Harris picked Shapiro, or perhaps even [Kentucky Gov. Andy] Beshear,” Cook Political Report election analyst Dave Wasserman told the Washington Examiner. “Both Shapiro and Beshear have more pragmatic reputations because they served in states with Republican legislatures, whereas Walz has had a Democratic trifecta in Minnesota.”

There is still an “astronomically high” upside for Walz as Harris’s running mate, Ed Lee, director of Emory University’s Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue, told Naomi and Marisa, but the downside could mean losing the Keystone State and the White House. 

Click here to read more about how Walz’s performance could change how Harris looks back on 2024.

Workers on the docks, strike

Union workers Biden has been touting as his most-favored constituency could deal his vice president’s campaign to keep control of the White House a hammer blow. Economists are skeptical the historic dockworkers’ strike that started this week and is slowly backing up ports will have long-term damage effects on the economy, but more immediate concerns could give voters flashbacks to 2020. 

“On Tuesday, tens of thousands of members of the International Longshoremen’s Association at ports from Maine to Texas began striking after their six-year contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance lapsed,” Economics Reporter Zach Halaschak wrote for us this morning. “Workers at three dozen East Coast and Gulf Coast ports are now on strike, stopping ships from unloading goods and putting pressure on the country’s supply chains.” 

Democrats’ message about a strong economic recovery following the pandemic and crippling inflation was beginning to look like reality, just in time for voters to head to the polls with a little more cash in their wallets. Now, with several states already in the process of sending and receiving mail-in ballots, voters might look at the supply chain snarls and immediate price spikes as one more reason not to vote to keep the status quo. 

Experts aren’t expecting a prolonged strike, so the effects could be minimal, though the short-term pain might be enough to have an outsize effect. 

And the immediate problems have appeared quickly. 

“Less than 48 hours since the strike, ships carrying a wide array of cargo have started piling up outside ports on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast,” Zach wrote.

“The queue of waiting container ships waiting outside the ports in question has increased to 45 ships. By comparison, there were only three ships waiting on Sunday, 31 on Monday, and 38 on Tuesday, which was the first day of the strike, according to Everstream Analytics, which is a supply chain risk management software company,” he wrote.

Consumers who aren’t looking out at clogged ports might not think dockworkers unloading containers will have any effect on them, until food begins rotting on ships and medical supplies aren’t delivered to local pharmacies. 

Click here to read more about how the dock workers strike could affect your next grocery trip.

McCarthy memoriam

It’s been a year since House Republicans made good on their threats to exercise newfound power and give former Speaker Kevin McCarthy the boot. The prodigious fundraiser had a massive challenge keeping his razor-thin majority in line as he fought to enact a GOP agenda that had little to no chance of surviving scrutiny in the Democratic-held Senate and with Biden in the White House. 

His job wasn’t made any easier by a handful of rowdy Republicans who appeared more interested in making sure McCarthy’s long-held dream of wielding the speaker’s gavel was a short-lived nightmare than piling up policy wins. 

McCarthy went down in history as the first speaker to lose his job as a result of a motion to vacate — led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). 

Since then, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has risen from a backbencher to one of the most powerful men in Washington, heartbeats away from the presidency and in charge of controlling the country’s budget. The transition hasn’t been as smooth as Johnson would have liked, and despite his impressive, and somewhat surprising, fundraising abilities, the speaker has little to show for his time at the helm, Congressional Reporters Cami Mondeaux and Rachel Schilke wrote for us this morning. 

Despite largely keeping his majority in line, fending off serious challenges to his speakership, and moving more legislation than McCarthy, Johnson has struggled to give voters a reason to think he and his party are best suited to continue controlling the House, according to Cook Political Report House analyst Erin Covey.

The “chaos” in the House, both in ousting McCarthy and subsequent battles, has harmed Republicans’ ability to fundraise. In an election as tight as this year, a couple of million dollars could be the make-or-break number that determines House control. 

The numbers Cami and Rachel lay out tell a fascinating story about how the last two years have gone for Johnson and Co. 

Fundraising: 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats’ campaign arm, ended August with $87.3 million in cash in the bank. 

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s main fundraising vehicle, ended August with $70.8 million. 

Legislation: 

In 2023, lawmakers only passed 330 pieces of legislation, with even fewer, 23, eventually becoming law. 

Under Johnson, the House has passed 497 bills so far in 2024, 13 of which have been signed into law. 

Rule votes: 

Under both speakers, the House has witnessed the highest number of failed rule votes, a procedural measure that is usually voted along party lines to advance legislation to the floor. Although it’s typically rare for rule votes to fail, hard-line conservatives have looked to the procedure to protest GOP leadership and stall floor action until certain demands are met. 

As a result, GOP lawmakers helped to sink three rule votes under McCarthy and another four under Johnson. 

Then there’s the hard feelings left behind by McCarthy’s unceremonious removal. 

The former speaker himself tried his best to return the favor for the gang of eight rebels who moved to push him out of office with a “revenge tour” that had mixed results. Gaetz and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) weren’t fazed by McCarthy’s assault, but former Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) lost his primary contest. 

Johnson will be hard-pressed to stem the infighting if Republicans retain control of the House next year. And he’ll be in an even more precarious position if they don’t. 

Click here to read more about the year under Johnson in the House.

New from us

Vance exposes the Haitian legal immigrant farce

Why so many students hate Israel

Trump and Vance attempt rebrand of social conservatism in tough election year

Mary Peltola challenger avoids GOP infighting in bid to flip Alaska House seat

Senate Democratic policy shop attacking private equity relies on donors with large investments

The top cases to watch at the Supreme Court this year

In case you missed it

At least some Senate candidates are debating

Katie Porter isn’t giving up staying in public life

How exactly is Israel keeping all those rockets out? We explain

For your radar

Biden will take an area tour of areas affected by Hurricane Helene in Perry, Florida, before taking a similar tour in Valdosta, Georgia. 

Harris will rally with former Rep. Liz Cheney in Ripon, Wisconsin, at 6 p.m. Eastern.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle with reporters on Air Force One.