Jumping and screaming around her kitchen, Virginia Musser celebrated when she saw her middle school student teacher’s name in The New York Times headline: “Tim Walz Is the Veep’s Pick for Veep”.
“I was so excited,” Musser said. “There was lots of excitement from my high school classmates. Our teacher could be the vice president of the United States.”
Musser, mother of junior Kellar Musser at Lawrence High School, met Walz for the first time while attending Alliance Middle School in Nebraska. She said that even as a young student teacher, Walz made an impression.
“It was pretty notable that he was coming in when he was really, really young, so everybody was pretty excited, and we all thought he was cute,” Musser said. “He was enthusiastic, and I actually enjoyed being there, which is saying a lot for middle school.”
She also formed a close relationship with Walz’s wife, Gwen Walz, who served as her debate coach throughout high school.
“I started on the speech team with her and that was my main activity throughout high school,” Musser said. “I spent a ton of time with her, and she built the speech team from being non-existent into [going] to state my senior year. We were really proud of it, so she played a huge part in my life.”
Musser’s background in journalism has prevented her from sharing political views in the past, but she has always prioritized keeping herself and her children educated.
“We’ve always watched the election night debates every time that there’s an election coming up,” her daughter said. “She makes sure that I know about it, and we always end up talking about politics in some form or another around an election.”
However, this nomination shattered Musser’s sheltered political expression.
“I got a tote bag and a yard sign ordered, and for me, putting a political sign in my yard is a big deal because when you’re a journalist, you’re not allowed to do things like that,” said Musser, who isn’t currently working as a reporter. “At some point, I realized that I couldn’t probably live with myself if I didn’t do something for their campaign.”
This new addition to the Democratic ticket even inspired her to campaign at a national level.
“I made myself make phone calls to Pennsylvania voters, which is so outside my comfort zone,” Musser said. “It was terrifying, but I was like, ‘everybody has to do their part.’”
Kellar said she is proud of the effort her mother has put into this election.
“I thought it was very sweet that she could actually be excited about something political for once in her life because throughout the course that I have known her, politics have always just brought her down, and she really doesn’t like being involved in them,” Kellar said.
Musser has also made an effort to share her personal experience with Walz, which has impacted many, including junior Belzimere Maletsky, a part of her local Girl Scout troop.
“It’s definitely made him seem more real and more connected with the public because I know he has that real connection that I can trace back,” Maletsky said.
Although Musser has a unique personal perspective, she thinks that Tim Walz has been able to build a connection with the nation as a whole through relationships like hers, and that it has been key to the Harris-Walz campaign.
“I watched nearly every reel I can find, and there are so many points where Tim or Gwen run into people they know who are enthusiastic about them and happy to see them,” Musser said. “I think that’s really key…they treat people like they’re humans and individuals.”
Musser believes that the ability for politicians like Walz to connect with voters on a personal level is key to not just a win, but helps to foster a civil democracy.
“The simple act of looking somebody in the face and having a conversation with them brings their humanity into play, and it makes you more sympathetic,” Musser said. “Even if you don’t agree with their views, you can see you’re both two people in this world trying to get something done. It’s so easy for our society to be fragmented and isolated right now, and that division is getting really horrible.”
Musser has been reinvigorated by energy brought to the Harris-Walz campaign and anticipates this as a sign of a less turbulent political landscape in the future.
“I felt so energized when Kamala and Tim took the nomination,” Musser said. “It makes me feel like there is hope for things. Maybe we could get along and not destroy each other.”
