Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, CNN reports citing multiple sources.
CNN says that they will appear together in their first joint rally in Philadelphia later today before visiting other battleground states this week.
A former educator, Walz is currently in his second term as Minnesota governor and chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative-leaning rural district that, both before and after his tenure, has been mostly dominated by Republicans.
Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st Governor. He was first elected Governor in 2018 and won re-election in 2022.
According to his official page, accomplishments from his time as Governor include providing universal free school meals for students, protecting reproductive freedom, strengthening voting rights, laying the groundwork to get Minnesota to 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, cutting taxes for the middle class, and expanding paid leave for Minnesota workers.
Why did Kamala Harris pick Tim Waltz?
The BBC says that Walz won attention among Democrats for his affable style and ability to land rhetorical blows on Donald Trump without seeming too aggressive.
The “weird” label he applied to the former president and his running mate became a Democratic mantra in just a matter of days – and is now a standard part of Harris’s stump speech.
While Minnesota isn’t a battleground state, the Harris campaign may hope that Walz has mid-western cross-border appeal in places like Wisconsin and Michigan, which will help decide this election.
Walz also has a record of enacting progressive legislation in his state while defending it in a way that moderates and independent voters can understand. In his prior job as a congressman, he was able to win in a district that has a significant number of rural and Republican voters.
The governor may not have been a household name among Democrats a few weeks ago, but sometimes the dark horse wins the race, the BBC notes.
Harris’s decision comes after she interviewed several contenders over the weekend. Among those to be grilled were governors Josh Shapiro and Tim Walz, and Senator Mark Kelly.
Harris also reportedly met her vetting team – led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder – over the weekend and received in-depth presentations on their findings, including potential political vulnerabilities.
Harris also met another top contender, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, on Friday – and met several other candidates virtually, US media report.
Former President Barack Obama has consulted with Harris at points since she emerged as the Democratic standard-bearer, though he has not advocated for a particular name as a running mate, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
When President Joe Biden was asked last week whether he had consulted with Harris about the choice, he said yes. But when asked what qualities she should look for in a selection, he demurred: “I’ll let her work that out,” he said.
Harris vows to defeat Donald Trump in November
Harris pledged to bring the fight to Donald Trump.
“Over the next few months, I will be traveling across the country talking to Americans about everything that is on the line. I fully intend to unite our party, unite our nation, and defeat Donald Trump in November,” she said recently.
