Vice President Kamala Harris, who will likely be the Democratic nominee for president, has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
The announcement came Tuesday morning, Aug. 6, after Harris and her staff vetted potential candidates for more than two weeks. Harris was endorsed by President Joe Biden after he announced in late-July that he would not seek re-election this November.
Harris will officially introduce Walz at a campaign rally in Philadelphia later today. With the rally being held in Pennsylvania, it was widely speculated that Harris would choose Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Although he seemed to be one of the two finalists for the pick, he is still slated to attend the Harris rally tonight in his home state.
The selection of Walz was strategic, as Harris and her campaign team were ultimately going to choose a candidate from one of the swing states that could help her win Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, or Wisconsin. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has previously stated that she was going to remain in Michigan and was not looking for a vice president nomination. While Wisconsin has the second fewest electoral votes of those six states, but still proves to be an important battleground state that could help her carry over to the 270 electoral college votes needed to claim the presidency.
Walz is a 60-year-old father of two who was born in Nebraska. He was a high school social studies teacher, football coach, and union member before he got into politics. He served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.
Walz established himself as a moderate Democrat in Congress, where he served as a representative for Minnesota from 2007 to 2019. As the governor of Minnesota, a role he’s held since 2019, he also serves as chair of the national Democratic Governors Association. As governor, some of Walz’ political accomplishments include ensuring tuition-free meals at participating state universities, enshrining abortion rights into state law, banning conversion therapy and providing protections for gender-affirming healthcare.
Walz also signed a bill last May expanding voting rights in Minnesota for an estimated 55,000 formerly incarcerated residents, and in 2020, oversaw the state’s response to both the COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, though he faced criticism from state Republicans over his delayed response to protests following Floyd’s killing.
“Four years ago, we stood in Minneapolis to demand justice for George Floyd and accountability for not only the officer who murdered him, but his colleagues who stood idly by. We were honest about Governor Walz’s response, and he heard the calls we made for actual justice. Governor Walz tapped Attorney General Ellison to lead the investigation as a direct result of our advocacy in the streets and in the halls over government,” Rev. Al Sharpton said this morning.
“I learned then that he was a man who will listen and do what is right by those he represents. A year later, justice like we had rarely ever seen was delivered for George Floyd, his family, and this nation.”
Sharpton added: “We can count on Governor Walz to take that same kind of open approach as Kamala Harris’ vice president. He will be a trusted partner for her as she leads the nation through one of its greatest challenges in history. Governor Walz has already shown he isn’t afraid to take on those who want to move our country backward, which will only be an asset in moving us forward. You can already see he is ready and willing to support Kamala Harris as she seeks to become the first Black female President, knocking down one of the greatest barriers in the process.”
Many believe Walz was chosen because of his fair-but-moderate democratic take on issues. Pundits say that his views on policies will help unite a large swath of uncommitted voters, and Elianne Farhat, Senior Advisor to Uncommitted and Executive Director of Take Action Minnesota, believes that.
“Governor Walz has demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve as a public leader, uniting Democrats diverse coalition to achieve significant milestones for Minnesota families of all backgrounds. While his past positions as a congressman may have conflicted with anti-war voters, we hope he can evolve on this issue as he has on others, such as shifting from an A to F rating from the NRA, Farhat said.
Harris and Walz are expected to make a full sing-state road trip this week, with a stop slated in Detroit later this week following a major endorsement of Harris by the UAW.
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