Let me confess. Until a week ago, I knew nothing about the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. And until Kamala Harris picked him as her veep, I had no idea how to pronounce his name. You, too?

Political pundits disagree about the importance of a vice-presidential running mate. Some say the veep doesn’t matter much. Others maintain it doesn’t matter at all.

There have been a few exceptions such as Jack Kennedy picking Lyndon Johnson to be his running mate in 1960. However, most prognosticators opine that for most voters, it’s only the main event, Trump vs. Harris, that counts.

But for me, the selection of Tim Walz for vice president does matter. After months of the presidential race feeling like the country was sleepwalking its way toward American fascism, my despair has been replaced by energy and optimism. Two reasons: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Recall the Obama poster by Shepard Fairey, “Hope.” That’s how this moment feels.

The vice-presidential pick has importance for a different reason — it tells us something about the candidate who chose them. Trump doubled down on his MAGA base and his disdain for “the other.” Harris’ pick attests to her political acumen and respect for the importance of governance.

Part of the reason for progressives’ optimism is Walz’s record as governor. He codified abortion rights, protected trans people, ensured paid family medical leaves, legalized marijuana, put red flag and background check gun laws into place, provided universal school meals, created standards for nursing homes, put an end to employees being required to attend anti-union diatribes from their bosses, and banned non-compete provisions in employment contracts.

He’s also been a long-term congressman as well as a high school social studies teacher and football coach whose students thought he was terrific.

But for many of the same reasons that progressives are abundantly enthusiastic about the Harris-Walz ticket, the MAGA operatives are foaming at the mouth to sink their teeth into them and their records. Republicans want to take aim at some of Walz’s positions — restoring voting rights to persons who have completed their sentences, providing sanitary products to high school girls, endorsing gender-inclusive bathrooms and supporting driver’s licenses for immigrants without documents — even though many people, including much of law enforcement, think that’s the right policy.

Judging by the outpouring of support from new volunteers and contributors, Walz was a great pick and if she wins, Harris will be complimented for it. If, however, the Harris-Walz ticket is defeated while losing Pennsylvania and its 18 electoral votes, we’ll experience enormous hand-wringing over why Harris didn’t choose that state’s enormously popular governor, Josh Shapiro.

Eighteen votes in Trump’s column instead of Harris’s would mean a 36 electoral vote swing. For the Democrats to win without Pennsylvania is not impossible, but close to it.

A similar brutal post-mortem will play out if the election is decided by a loss in Arizona with its 11 electoral votes and Harris’ non-selection of its senator, Mark Kelly. Biden won that state in 2020 by 10,314 votes out of nearly 3.4 million votes cast.

Democrats for the moment are on a bit of a sugar high. One reason is that the focus of the mainstream media has not been on the polls in the seven swing states. Those polls show Trump either tied or leading. That’s way better than Biden at the head of the ticket, but it’s not enough.

This (sort of) honeymoon period may last through the Democratic National Convention. After that the onslaught of criticism, misinformation, distortions and other garbage will flood the airwaves and the internet. It will be disgusting. Trump already has started his barrage.

The convention will provide Harris and Walz with an enormous opportunity. Harris, for all her years in the national spotlight, remains relatively undefined in the minds of many people. She has the chance to fill out the picture. Walz has that same opportunity.

At the convention, both will need to give a knock-their-socks-off speech. What they say about policy will matter. And what they project about who they are as people will make a decided difference.

In this feel-good moment, do remember this: Trump has always outperformed expectations. The last presidential election, the polls predicted, would not be a nail-biter. Biden certainly was going to win. So was Hillary Clinton, if you recall.

It’s time to write those postcards, help register voters, volunteer for phone banking, canvass, go door-knocking, talk to your out-of-state friends and relatives, work in swing states for a week or two, contribute money. After all, voter turnout will decide this election.

As we used to say, the personal is the political. That adage remains true. Here’s the personal reason for doing all this: Can you imagine how good you will feel waking up the morning after the election knowing that the country, thanks in a small part to your efforts, has escaped American fascism?

Conversely, can you imagine how horrifyingly bad, guilty and (more) depressed you’ll feel if Trump has won and you haven’t done everything in your power to stop that?

Bill Newman is a Northampton-based lawyer and co-host of Talk the Talk on WHMP.