- Kamala Harris selects Tim Walz as running mate
- Walz praised for progressive record and support
- Harris aims to bolster campaign in Midwest
Harris was scheduled to make an announcement later today, but multiple individuals who spoke with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity verified her choice before the formal announcement.
Kamala Harris, a US presidential candidate, has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate for 2024.
The Democratic Party candidate confirmed earlier claims in a post on X, saying: “I am delighted to announce that I have requested @Tim_Walz to be my running mate.
“As governor, coach, teacher, and veteran, he has provided for working families like his.
It’s fantastic to have him on the squad.
Mr Walz is a former teacher and member of the United States Army National Guard. In selecting him, Hillary is going with a Midwestern governor, military veteran, and union backer who helped execute an ambitious Democratic program for his state.
Ms Harris, the first black woman and person of South Asian origin to lead a major party ticket, considered about a dozen candidates before narrowing it down to a few strong competitors, all of whom were white men.
She chose Mr Walz because he is a low-key spouse who has demonstrated his support for Democratic causes.
Mr Walz has been described as having the “most progressive record” among Ms Harris’ potential running mates.
His accomplishments include:
- Securing tuition-free meals at participating state universities.
- Enshrining abortion rights in state law.
- Prohibiting conversion therapy.
- Giving protections for gender-affirming healthcare.
He also supervised broad abortion rights protections and extensive family assistance, as well as the signing of the so-called Taylor Swift Law, which was inspired by a legislator’s dissatisfaction over not being able to purchase tickets to Swift’s 2023 Minneapolis show.
When questioned last week if his liberal record could pose a risk to the ticket, Mr Walz joked, “What a monster! Children are eating and feeling full so they can go to school. Women make their own healthcare decisions.”
Although he initially supported President Joe Biden’s campaign, Mr Walz has been a vocal supporter of Ms Harris’ campaign against Donald Trump and JD Vance. In an interview last month, he labelled the Republicans as “just weird”—an insult embraced by the Harris camp.
Improving Midwest infrastructure
His appointment implies that Ms Harris aims to strengthen her campaign’s position in the upper Midwest, a vital region in presidential politics that frequently serves as a buffer for Democratic Party contenders pursuing the White House.
Both Michigan and Wisconsin supported Mr Trump in 2016, and while Mr Biden was able to recapture both states in 2020, it was by a margin of 2.78% and 0.63%, respectively.
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Mr Trump has already stated that he plans to focus on this region as he seeks reelection in November.
President Biden won Minnesota by more than seven points in 2020, despite Mr Trump’s phoney claims that he won the state and can win it again.
The state has already produced two vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. The latter supported Walz’s first House of Representatives candidacy in 2006.
From tiny town Nebraska to the White House
Walz was raised in small-town Nebraska and worked as a social studies teacher and football coach before entering politics. He also spent 24 years in the United States Army National Guard, reaching command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted levels in the service.
He earned his first of six terms in Congress from a primarily rural southern Minnesota district, and he used the position to advocate for veterans’ problems.
He has frequently served as a Biden-Harris surrogate and has made a rising number of appearances on national television.
They included an interview on Fox News, which upset Mr Trump so severely that he commented on Truth Social: “They make me fight battles I shouldn’t have to fight.”
