Why Gov. Tim Walz is popping up on podcast feeds and "The View"
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One of the longest interviews Gov. Tim Walz has given during his vice presidential campaign is not with a veteran journalist, but a trio of comedians known for their roles on "Arrested Development" and "Will and Grace."
The big picture: The Minnesota Democrat's final-stretch media blitz is following Vice President Kamala Harris' lead: leaning into podcasts, social media influencers and celebrity hosts in addition to traditional local and national news interviews.
Why it matters: These buzzy appearances allow the campaign to reach millions of voters who might tune out the headlines and nightly news — often without the scrutiny of more traditional sit-downs.
Driving the news: Walz's 40-minute chat with "SmartLess" hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, taped earlier this month, drops in podcast feeds Monday.
- Later in the day, he'll appear on "The View" and "The Daily Show."
- Those stops come on top of a flurry of local TV and radio interviews he taped in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin last week.
Zoom in: While Walz's high-profile interviews with programs like "60 Minutes" and "Fox News Sunday" have focused on policy and his own misstatements, the less traditional appearances often feature the down-to-earth side of the governor that helped land him the nomination.
- On "SmartLess," he talked about running, vintage cars and sleep habits in addition to issues like abortion rights and middle-class tax cuts.
What they're saying: "One of the things that people really like about him is that he's authentic," Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan, a Walz ally, told Axios.
- "That absolutely comes out in the conversations that he has in these nontraditional media [settings]."
The intrigue: The uptick in media for both Harris and Walz followed criticism that the ticket spent the first months of their truncated campaign ducking the press.
- Some Walz fans have at times thought the Harris team underutilized the straight-talking messenger, even as his off-the-cuff comments have created headaches for the campaign.
Zoom out: The platforms can have a huge reach. With millions of listeners, "SmartLess" is one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S.
- A walk-and-talk at Minnehaha Dog Park with the "We Rate Dogs" social account has racked up 1.9 million views on X and 625,000 on YouTube.
Plus: Lighter moments in these appearances often have a second or third life online.
- "I don't watch 'The View,'" Young Democrats of America president Quentin Wathum-Ocama, who lives in the Twin Cities, told Axios.
- "But I see [the clips] on Twitter, I see it on TikTok, where these things go viral."
Case in point: A brief exchange between Walz and Instagram-famous "Subway Takes" comedian Kareem Rahma about Menards' rebates even made it into a "Saturday Night Live" skit.
Between the lines: Many of Walz's media appearances are part of the campaign's broader effort to win over male voters.
- In recent weeks, he talked football on "The Rich Eisen Show," sat down with former football player Michael Strahan for a "Good Morning America" segment and brought social media influencers with large followings to a pheasant hunt.
The other side: Trump has also spent the final stretch of the campaign appearing on podcasts and online shows seen as popular among men.
- While the GOP ticket did more press than Democrats for much of August and September, Trump has declined or cancelled several high-profile interviews and appearances in recent weeks.
The bottom line: Both camps are flooding the zone to try to win over persuadable voters in the final weeks.
- "For folks who are just trying to live their lives, this is when they are starting to tune in," Flanagan said.