Tim Walz helped Kamala Harris fire up the base on his Midwestern home turf.

Now, Democrats are about to find out how he plays outside that region. The new running mates are turning their attention from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt — testing whether Walz’s folksy, Midwestern brand can resonate beyond middle America.

Before she moved into the first shelter village of “tiny houses” in San Francisco, Sharon Sandelin — a 66-year-old who goes by “Mama T” — had been sleeping on the streets.

Now she lives in a 64-square-foot unit with heat, electricity, a twin bed, desk, and chair. There is a combination lock on the outside. The gated community where some 70 other people now live is clean and cheerful-looking, painted teal and sea-foam green. Residents are connected with supportive services like health care and served three meals daily.

A deadly storm has inflicted widespread damage in northern California dumping record-breaking rain and snow along the coastline.

Huge waves washed away walls of homes, while mudslides, sinkholes and flooding were reported throughout the region.

Two deaths were reported on Thursday. A toddler died after a tree fell on his home, and a 19-year old woman died when she crashed her car due to wet roads.

The forecast is for more ominous weather for the weekend and next week.

Heavy rain and powerful winds are pounding the northern California coast and forecasters have warned people to expect more flooding and mudslides.

The powerful storm system known as a bomb cyclone has killed at least two people, including a toddler who died when a redwood tree fell on his home.

California has been under a state of emergency since Wednesday. Over 160,000 home and businesses have lost power.

Officials say the rain is falling on ground already soaked by past rainfall.

This is how the West is run: In the 13 westernmost U.S. states, one party controls both the executive and legislative branches.

Flush with federal cash, the region — the fastest-growing in the country — is rebuilding from the disruptions of the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and states’ political leanings will play a role in how they budget for their future.

Several states in the South and Mountain West will gain more seats in the U.S. House, boosting their political power, according to new census numbers showing stronger population gains there. Texas will gain two House seats, more than any other state. California will lose a congressional seat for the first time, though it still will have more House seats than any other state.

Every decade the Census Bureau releases population totals that determine how seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are reapportioned among the states.