Extremely Online
Ope! Tim Walz Is Inspiring A Surge Of Midwestern Memes
His addition to the ticket has introduced huge swaths of the country to Midwest humor.
As soon as Tim Walz joined Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the presidency, the Minnesota governor seemed to remind people of their dads. His supporters have pointed to his down-to-earth vibe and general affability as part of the reason, which many have attributed to his Midwestern roots.
Travis Ridout, a political scientist at Washington State University and co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, told Time that “vice presidential nominees often take on the role of attack dog” in presidential campaigns. But with “a smile and a wink and with some humor,” Walz has presented an alternative model, Ridout said. “That’s the Midwesternism that will allow him not to sound nasty.”
That departure from the norm — aided by the reach and wittiness of Harris’ social media team, @kamalahq — has inspired a wave of memes about Walz’ Midwestern sensibilities, from local colloquialisms to his Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish, a regional delight.
As one user on X (formerly Twitter) said, Walz has “Minnesota vibes so strong they register on the Richter scale.”
His “Big Dad Energy”
On an Aug. 2 episode of Ezra Klein’s podcast — even before Walz was tapped to run — Klein complimented Walz’s “Midwestern dad vibes.” One of Walz’s fellow Democratic governors, Laura Kelly of Kansas, echoed that sentiment on Face the Nation, calling him “the epitome of the Midwestern dad.”
And, indeed, Walz is a Midwestern dad in the literal sense: He and wife, Gwen Walz, have two kids, 23-year-old Hope and 17-year-old Gus.
But his “big dad energy” — a term that was trending on Threads, according to Axios — is what’s gone viral.
So what makes a Midwestern dad, in terms of vibes? For starters, he’ll fix things for you. One user on X imagined a headline: “BREAKING: Potential running mate Tim Walz spotted outside VP Kamala Harris’ residence ‘tweaking the lawn mower’s carburetor’ because he ‘didn’t like that darn knocking sound it was making.’”
One website, timwalzfixedyourbicycle.com, is dedicated to these types of everyday, everyman actions. Refresh your page to get a new message, like “Tim Walz knows you tried your best and he’s proud of you,” or “Tim Walz noticed your sink was draining a little slow and took care of it.”
Ope!
The interjection “ope!” is a longstanding verbal crutch in the Midwest, used for awkward moments or when you bump into someone. One user noted the governor’s “first official ope” of the campaign, when he helped a Wisconsin rally attendee on Aug. 7.
Another made a punny mock-up of President Barack Obama’s famous “Hope” poster, in which Walz stands over the letters “OPE.” One person wrote that Walz puts “the ‘Ope’ in ‘Hope.’”
That isn’t the only regional colloquialism people are expecting. Shortly after Walz was tapped to serve as Harris’ running mate, one user wrote, “The chances of a ‘Aw, fer cryin’ out loud!’ in the VP debate just rose to 99.9%.”
He’s In His Midwest Princess Era
Supporters are leaning on the season’s biggest hitmakers to show their enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket.
On July 21, Charli XCX posted on X that “kamala IS brat,” in reference to her new album. The Harris team ran with the analogy by adorning social posts with splashes of lime green, like Charli’s album cover.
And if Kamala is Brat, then Walz is The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, according to supporters — referencing pop singer Chappell Roan’s latest album. Like Walz, Roan hails from the Midwest (Missouri, specifically), and like Charli XCX, she’s put forth several viral contenders for song of the summer.
One person made an edit of photos and videos of Walz smiling, set to Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” — dedicated to the “rise (not fall!) of a midwest governor <3.” Another opted for a slideshow of dad-isms “Walz would definitely say,” set to “HOT TO GO!”
The Harris and Walz campaign now sells a camo hat with their names in orange text, which was seemingly inspired by Roan’s own merch.
One of Roan’s oft-repeated lines — “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” — has even been used to talk about Walz, with one supporter declaring him “your Vice President’s favorite Vice President” and “your cool dad’s favorite cool dad.”
