US vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has opted for a rather unconventional way of running his campaign.
It's hard to imagine a more unconventional way to engage young voters than teaming up with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitch for a few rounds of Crazy Taxi – but that's exactly what Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz did this week.
A Crazy Taxi ride through the streets
When he logged into the Twitch stream, most expected a typical campaign discussion, but Walz had other plans. After a round of Madden NFL 25 with Ocasio-Cortez, he switched to his secret favorite: Sega's Crazy Taxi. Walz mentioned that he didn't want to go offline before showing her the game, and admitted that he had no idea how to use Xbox controllers – but he bravely made his way through. His driving skills were surprisingly good – at least for a politician.
Brought back a Dreamcast classic. pic.twitter.com/iGwAzToQz4
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 27, 2024
Playing as Axel, Walz raced through the virtual city, unable to resist a cheeky remark. He asked if his driving was meant as a sassy commentary on New York, after Ocasio-Cortez jokingly wondered if he drove that way in real life. A politician with a sense of humor and a healthy dose of self-deprecation is something Americans admittedly don't see every day.
The Twitch endeavour seemed to be a welcome break for Walz. He proudly told Ocasio-Cortez that there's even a character of him in the game, thanks to a new mod. As he weaved his way through the traffic chaos, he hinted that he prefers Crazy Taxi to Grand Theft Auto, which he finds a little too violent. For Ocasio-Cortez, even the streets of Crazy Taxi seemed chaotic enough.
Walz and Ocasio-Cortez aren’t the first U.S. politicians on Twitch – just recently, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders appeared on a stream with Pokimane.