The presidential primaries bring chaos to the most peaceful of times in the U.S., but given the volatility of, well, everything over the past few election cycles, it feels like a wilder time than ever before. The all-but-officially official Democratic presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris announced her VP pick running mate today as current Minnesota governor Tim Walz. In contrast to the republican rhetoric about how Democrats want to outlaw gas cars and force everyone to drive an EV, you’ll be happy to know that Walz is a certified car guy who reportedly daily drives his 1979 International Harvester Scout, and who shows appreciation for classic cars at local car shows.
He’s not some performative car guy who simply writes a check for a 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster like former president Donald Trump. Walz visits classic car shows in his free time, as shown on several separate occasions when he posts about it on his social media, and the president of the United Auto Workers union Shawn Fain said Walz was one of the union’s top picks for the vice presidential nomination. In a story published by Walz’s local paper, The StarTribune said,
[Walz] owns and tinkers around on a vintage blue International Scout, a four-wheel-drive vehicle that International Harvester stopped producing in 1980. He has custom plates that read, “ONE MN,” his campaign slogan for his gubernatorial bid.
Politics aside, knowing that the potential Vice President of the United States of America is not only a fan of, but the owner of a classic car bodes well for support of Right-to-Repair laws. He once posted a video to social media calling out Ford for the poor design of the headline harness connector on the 2011 Ford Edge and sharing how to repair it. So it’s clear he’s a proponent of the people’s right to repair their own vehicles. Walz’s passion for his light blue ‘79 International Harvester Scout and his appreciation of classic cars is encouraging to car people who may be concerned about the future of the automobile, regardless of their political leanings.