Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday. He announced the news on X less than two weeks after suddenly becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“I am proud to announce that I have asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, coach, teacher and veteran, he is committed to working families like his. It’s great to have him in our team. Now let’s get to work. Join us!” wrote Kamala Harris next to the photo of the two.
The pair will attend a campaign rally together in Philadelphia that evening.
In the 60-year-old Walz, Harris chose a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who had done much to advance the ambitious Democratic agenda in his state, including comprehensive protections for abortion rights and generous support for families.
According to his aides, Harris hopes to use Walz to strengthen his campaign in the Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a stumbling block for Democratic presidential candidates. The party remains haunted by Trump’s 2016 victories in Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump lost those states in 2020, but now he’s paying close attention to them as he looks to return to the White House, expanding his focus to Minnesota.
Harris — the first black and South Asian woman to be nominated by a major party for president — considered a dozen vice presidential candidates before narrowing the field to a handful of serious contenders, all of whom are white men. When he chose Walz, he chose a low-key partner who has already proven himself to be a champion of causes important to Democrats.
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast Tim Walz to be her running mate. Walz spent his time as governor molding Minnesota into the image of the Golden State said Karoline Leavitt, press secretary of Trump’s campaign. “Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal ideals.”
Walz strongly supported Harris in the campaign against Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance. In an interview last month, he said of Republicans that “they’re just plain creepy.” Democrats embraced and amplified the message even more.
Walz, who grew up in a small town called West Point, Nebraska, taught social studies, coached football and was a union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before entering politics.
He won the first of his six congressional terms in 2006 in a largely agricultural district in southern Minnesota, and he stood out above all for his support of veterans’ causes. He served 24 years in the National Guard, where he rose to the rank of sergeant, one of the highest ranks in the army for conscripts.
2018-ban A Minnesota ran for governor with a slogan and won by more than 11 percentage points.
Walz was re-elected in 2022 by almost eight percentage points, his Republican challenger Dr. Scott Jensen was a vaccine-skeptic doctor. He remains criticized by Republicans for his response to the violent riots that erupted after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in 2020. A police station was also set on fire during the riots.
Walz’s run for vice president could help Democrats retain the state’s 10 electoral votes and strengthen the party in the Midwest. No Republican has won a governor’s election in Minnesota since Tim Pawlenty’s re-election in 2006, but the party’s nominees for attorney general and state auditor have come close in 2022.
In 2016, Trump finished just one and a half percentage points behind Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state. While Biden won Minnesota by more than seven percentage points in 2020, Trump falsely claims that he won there last time and can do it again.
Minnesota has already produced two vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
Prepared using AP coverage.
