Since Minnesota governor Tim Walz was thrust into the national spotlight as Kamala Harris’s VP pick, we’ve learned many compelling details about him. But as Vanity Fair’s automotive reporter since before the start of the first Obama administration, an ancillary attribute of his stood out to me: As reported in his local paper, Walz is the proud owner of a 1979 International Harvester Scout—a vintage SUV from a pioneering Chicago-based farm-equipment company—which he tinkers with himself, takes to classic car shows, and drives around town when he’s not being chauffeured in his official state SUV.

A bit of sleuthing revealed that the vintage truck is a lovely shade of turquoise known as “glacier blue,” sports a custom plate that reads “ONE MN”—for One Minnesota, Walz’s inclusive campaign motto—and is frequently used as a photo backdrop/transportation for his dog, also named Scout. According to the Harris campaign, Walz bought the Scout in 2008 from an Army helicopter pilot; the car had previously been her grandfather’s.

“They’re American icons,” the campaign said, explaining why Walz was compelled by the model. “The governor had a friend who owned a black International Harvester, and they were common in farm country.” This may be in part due to the fact that, in the late 1970s, if you bought a four-wheel-drive International Harvester tractor, you could get a free Scout as part of a package offer, called the “4-Plus-4 Deal.”

A friend of Walz’s, Wayne, and his son, in North Mankato, Minnesota, completed some bodywork on the Scout to help with the rust that the model is prone to. But the governor has also worked on the truck himself: He replaced the alternator and did much of the detail work on the interior. “He also got the original 8-track player working, and listens to Bob Seger’s ‘Night Moves,’” according to the campaign. In addition, they said, “He taught his daughter, Hope, how to drive in the Scout.”

As a fan of classic American SUVs (I’ve owned two 1980s Jeep Grand Wagoneers, and a 1972 GMC Suburban) I can attest that the Scout is a good match for the governor in other ways. First, like Walz, it is an honest product of the Midwest. Also, like Walz, it’s rugged and reliable, but inventive. Released in 1961, it is a foundational SUV with more creature comforts, cargo space, and on-road usability than the bare-bones military-based all-wheel-drive vehicles of the era, such as the Jeep CJ. International Harvester helped to form this market category—which now accounts for nearly 60% of America’s new vehicle purchases—well before Jeep introduced its Wagoneer (1963), Ford introduced its Bronco (1966), or Chevrolet introduced its Blazer (1969).

And, though over 500,000 Scouts were produced from 1961 until the model’s end in 1980, IH was a small independent automaker. So, while it never had the popularity or name recognition of some of its aforementioned competitors, that makes it all the cooler.

"Owning and driving a Scout back in the day, and even now, suggests a willingness to be unconventional, in that it’s not your neighbor’s Dodge, Ford, or Chevrolet truck,” said John Wiley, director of valuation analytics at classic vehicle insurance and intelligence company, Hagerty. According to Hagerty, values of Scouts like the governor’s have risen 109% in the past five years, which is part of a larger trending interest in vintage SUVs.

So desirable are these vehicles that companies like Velocity—a noted rebuilder of vintage trucks—can command over $300,000 for thoughtfully reimagined classic Scouts. These vehicles are not simply restored. They are so-called “resto-mods,” meaning they are re-manufactured, with all new underpinnings and sheet metal, contemporary paint and rustproofing, upgraded modern engines and transmissions, and technology to match. So they are as reliable as a new car, but with classic-car style.

For folks who relish the Scout’s upright profile and go-anywhere functionality, but would prefer, like Walz, to help our country shift to vehicles that lack its tailpipe emissions and thirst for petroleum, there will soon be a revival of the Scout nameplate: as a retro-styled electric car company. When the Volkswagen Group acquired the heavy-truck maker and International Harvester successor, Navistar, in 2021, it also “acquired the IP and the rights to the Scout brand,” said Scott Keogh, CEO of the newly relaunched Scout EV brand.

Scout will soon be unveiling its first battery-powered products, a pickup truck and an SUV, and has already broken ground on a new, $2 billion manufacturing complex in South Carolina. While the factory in South Carolina obviously does not maintain the brand’s (or Walz’s) Midwestern roots, its engineering center does; according to Keogh, it’s just outside of Detroit.

Automakers generally build factories in the South to avoid unions. However, unionization in the region is on the rise. VW has seen a recent landmark vote in favor of collective representation by employees at one of its Southern manufacturing facilities, and Walz is a big union booster. So if he and Kamala Harris are elected, they will continue their work on reviving manufacturing and trade-group membership, and can help Scout’s new employees receive a fair wage, and a fair share of the fruits of their labors.

Politics notwithstanding, we can all celebrate what vintage cars like governor Walz’s Scout provide. “When you look at the vehicle and you see it, it puts a smile on your face,” said Keogh. “It just gives a little bit of joy. And, you know what wouldn’t be the worst thing for America right now, is a little bit of joy.”