Tag: 2024 election

Tim Walz went to Minnesota-Michigan at the Big House but refused to upset voters with a prediction

Walz going to a swing state like Michigan seems to be the smarter play than Trump showing up in Alabama.

Much of the talk this week around the intersection of sports and politics is about Donald Trump – the former president who is again vying for the White House in this election – attending the big clash in Tuscaloosa between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama.

But elsewhere, the running mate of Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – is at a Big Ten showdown at the Big House between the Gophers and the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines.

In an effort to not upset undecided voters in a crucial swing state, Walz declined to make a prediction for the game, but he did appear on the field before kickoff with Minnesota coach PJ Fleck – who, if we’re being honest, could probably use Walz’s knowledge as a former high school state championship-winning defensive coordinator in stopping the Wolverines’ running game.

“I’m excited to be at the Big House and I’m excited to watch this incredible game,” Walz said. “I’m more excited to see young people excited about their future, getting ready to vote.”

https://twitter.com/umichvoter/status/1840063065724690552

https://twitter.com/ByAZuniga/status/1840046513453724151

As far as political strategy is concerned, it’s easy to argue that Walz going to Minnesota vs. Michigan in Ann Arbor is a smarter play than Trump going to Georgia vs. Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is one of the reddest states in the country, one that hasn’t voted Democrat for president since Georgia native Jimmy Carter was at the top of the ticket in 1976. Trump won Alabama by 62 percent in both 2020 and 2016.

Meanwhile, Michigan is pretty purple. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016 before losing it by about three percentage points in 2020 to Joe Biden. Before Democrat Gretchen Whitmer took the governor’s mansion in 2019, Republican Rick Snyder was a two-term governor in Michigan.

Which is all to say, it’s widely assumed that Alabama will vote for Trump again, while Michigan is very much in-play as a toss-up. With less than 40 days until the election, the New York Times reported Saturday morning that Trump and Harris are “neck-and-neck” in Michigan.

And it’s not entirely surprising that Walz didn’t make a pick in the Michigan versus Minnesota game. He is, after all, a man with other allegiances in the Big Ten.

https://twitter.com/primetimeMitch/status/1820827978508403095

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Caitlin Clark talked liking Taylor Swift’s Kamala Harris endorsement by encouraging everyone to vote

Caitlin Clark wants you to vote this November in the 2024 presidential election.

After the first 2024 presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, music icon Taylor Swift gave a detailed endorsement to the vice president in November’s election.

Plenty of noticeable names liked Swift’s post about the endorsement on Instagram, including Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Las Vegas Aces, USA Today‘s Christine Brennan asked Clark about that social media approval and if that meant she was supporting Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

“I have this amazing platform, so I think the biggest thing would be just to encourage people to register to vote,” Clark said in her response. “Continue to educate yourself with the candidates that we have, the policies that they’re supporting.

“I think that’s the biggest thing you can do, and that’s what I would recommend to every single person that has that opportunity in our country.”

While that’s not an outright endorsement, you can kind of read between the lines a bit to see how Clark’s response may hint at who she would endorse.

There is still plenty of time before this year’s election for Clark to make an endorsement so we’ll see soon enough if the WNBA rookie superstar decides to wade into the political waters and be more direct with her approach.

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Steve Kerr trolled Donald Trump with a rendition of a famous Steph Curry celebration at the 2024 DNC

Steve Kerr cracked a joke at Donald Trump’s expense at his Monday night DNC appearance.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has never hidden his progressive politics, and he decided to veer into full advocacy on Monday night.

The longtime NBA coach made a memorable appearance on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago to help support the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz presidential ticket.

During his speech, Kerr had some fun with the idea of former President Donald Trump losing the November election with a classic celebration from his Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

Kerr joked toward the end of his speech that “in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump … night night!”

As he said that, he did Curry’s famous “Night night!” taunt at opposing teams when they’re about to lose.

It’s not hard for you to guess who Kerr will be voting for this fall with a dig like this, one that combines the NBA, the election and comedy all in the name of political advocacy.

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Marshawn Lynch to start podcast with California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Marshawn Lynch to start podcast with California Governor Gavin Newsom

There’s an old saying: Politics makes strange bedfellows. Right now, we are seeing that come true in a rather unusual way. On Wednesday morning, it was announced that former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and his agent Doug Hendrickson are launching a podcast this summer …

… with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Huh. I can honestly say I did not see this one coming!

The trio announced the podcast, called Politickin’, on Instagram. It will debut on July 15. The summary of the podcast on the iHeartMedia website reads: “Gavin Newsom like you’d never heard him and Marshawn Lynch exactly how you’d expect him.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter gave a little more insight on the podcast in the tweet below.

It is always an interesting crossover when the worlds of sports and politics intersect, and it’s not often that there is such a direct connection like this. I’ll admit, my curiosity has certainly been piqued.

Additionally, I can’t help but wonder about the timing of this. I am not a political pundit, nor is anyone coming to Seahawks Wire for political analysis. But Newsom’s name has been floated over the past few years as a potential replacement for President Joe Biden. Recently, those calls have increased among certain Democrats following the President’s debate performance in late June.

Could Newsom be engaging in a new tactic to grow his popularity and relatability with younger voters? If this is truly his plan, pairing up with one of the most iconic, charismatic and popular athletes is a creative way to try to accomplish it.

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