Walz is a pragmatic politician — not a progressive one, said Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada. She described that as showing up with a potato salad, figuring out the temperature of the room, and working together from the start.
“I think Nevadans are pragmatic Libertarians. I leave you alone, you leave me alone, we go on our way. But then there’s times where we have to come together to figure out what we’re doing policy-wise,” Cosgrove said. “And I think one of the things that’s turning a lot of Nevadans off from party politics right now is it’s very I’m going to just yell at you and tell you things.”
Walz grew up in a small community in Nebraska, something that could also resonate with rural Nevadans, she said.
“I can see him going on a Barn Buster tour throughout rural Nevada,” Cosgrove said. “There’s a lot of veterans that live in rural Nevada. He’s also a hunter, but he’s also somebody that doesn’t want kids getting shot up in schools.”
Cosgrove added that while young people are energized by their new choices, the campaign should strategize how to reach older and nonpartisan voters in Nevada.
