KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Cass, Miami, Franklin and Douglas counties with an emphasis on Lawrence. Share your story idea with Lily.
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In July, Lawrence-based earthworks artist Stan Herd created a portrait of Kamala Harris 11 days before President Joe Biden announced he would not run for re-election and endorsed Harris.
Herd vowed the portrait wasn't complete, and that he'd be in the field as soon as she announced her running mate, which she announced on Tuesday.
“I got on an airplane yesterday in Pennsylvania, flew to Washington, got a second plane and flew here last night so I could be on the field today," Herd said on Wednesday. "That’s how energized I am.”
So energized, him and his team will complete the mural in a week, using organic materials to turn what was once a question mark in a field to Walz.
Herd's not the only one who is energized, says University of Kansas political science professor Don Haider-Markel.
"It's a lot more excitement than I would've predicted for any VIP pick," Haider-Markel said.
Haider-Markel says authenticity is a huge factor in how Americans view and vote for candidates.
He believes Walz's identity expands the appeal of Harris' campaign.
"He has these bonafides in terms of being able to say, ‘Hey, look, I served in the National Guard for 24 years, you know, I was a public school teacher, I was a football coach, I’m a hunter,'" Haider-Markel said.
Haider-Markel said he thinks the voter turnout for this general election could be higher than usual, but not as high as the 2020 election.
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