Mere weeks ago, you’d never utter the names Tim Walz and Chappell Roan in the same sentence. But we don’t live in precedented times.
Just as Vice President Kamala Harris unexpectedly captured the zeitgeist shortly by becoming synonymous with a major pop culture moment (Charli XCX’s album brat), the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota has become, at least to people online, connected with the bombastic rising pop star Chappell Roan and her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Yes, that sentence is as hilariously unexpected as it sounds.
How did this happen? It’s a story that could only unfold on social media, and the magic of camo hats and the Midwest. It’s also pretty revealing about the energy surrounding the Harris/Walz campaign right now—and the campaign’s ability to lean into the viral moments it keeps creating. Here’s everything you need to know, in this edition of TL;DR.
Give me the TL;DR.
Following his announcement as the vice presidential pick for the Kamala Harris campaign, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been anointed by people online as a “Midwest Princess” by fans of pop star Chappell Roan—complete with a camo hat.
Wait, I need more. What’s the background here?
Considering that neither Roan nor Walz were household names like six months ago, it’s understandable that you may be totally confused.
But their meteoric rise to fame on the national stage isn’t actually the only thing these two have in common. Both were raised in small towns without industry connections (no nepo babies here), both spent a number of years grinding before their breakout year, and yes, both are from the Midwest. Specifically, Walz was born in Nebraska and has spent most of his adult life in a small town in Minnesota, while Roan was born and raised in a small town in Missouri.
And they both embrace their Midwestern roots. Roan’s debut full-length album, 2023’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, touches on themes like her conservative Christian upbringing, moving to Los Angeles to make it as an artist, and exploring her queer identity.
She told Variety last year that she carries her roots with her through her art. “I knew I needed to put the Midwest in there just because it’s so important to my project,” Roan said in part. After releasing Princess in 2023, Roan’s star has been rising, first slowly, then meteorically. She’s developed a huge fan base, and recently drew the largest crowd ever to Lollapalooza in Chicago.
As for Walz, he’s literally running a Midwest state, and exudes a certain heartland dad energy that simply can’t be ignored. From his pure white tennis shoes to his corny yet sweet videos with his daughter Hope, to his affable demeanor, Walz, to some, is the epitome of “Midwestern nice.”
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