U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, looking to strengthen the Democratic ticket in Midwestern states, CBS News reports.
She will introduce Walz at a rally Tuesday evening in Philadelphia.
News of the pick comes two weeks after President Biden ended his reelection campaign, prompting the Democratic Party to quickly coalesce around the vice president.
Harris Kamala and Walz will campaign in all seven battleground states in the coming days, beginning with an appearance in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Walz’s first event as Harris’ running mate.
What does Tim Walz bring to the Kamala Harris ticket?
Walz, who has a background representing rural communities and enacting Democratic priorities, was part of a deep bench of potential running mates that included Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
The popular two-term governor of Minnesota could help Harris shore up support in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—midwestern “blue wall” states that have historically supported Democrats but went for Donald Trump in the 2016 election before Biden took them back in 2020. The three battleground states are likely pivotal to Harris’ ability to win the White House in November.
When Trump knocked down parts of the blue wall eight years ago, Minnesota remained Democratic by a narrow margin. The state hasn’t voted for a Republican since 1972.
Walz recently said he expected it would be a close presidential race in Minnesota, though he predicted Trump would lose for the third time. Trump has boasted about potentially winning the state while campaigning there in recent months.
Harris’ campaign recently started reiterating Walz’s attack line, in which he referred to Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, as “weird,” as a sign that his standing in the election was improving.
What is Walz’s background?
Walz, a 60-year-old Nebraska native, enlisted in the Army National Guard after high school and served for 24 years with both domestic and overseas deployments. He spent a year teaching high school in China after graduating from Chadron State College in 1989. When he returned to the U.S., he taught high school in Nebraska before moving to his wife’s home state of Minnesota in 1996. There, Walz taught social studies at Mankato West High School and coached the football team.
He began his political career in 2006 when he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent a primarily rural district bordering Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin. He served in Congress until 2019 when he became Minnesota’s governor. He was reelected to the position in 2022.
Walz faced intense criticism from Republicans during his first term as governor over his handling of the pandemic and the violent protests that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
With Democrats controlling both chambers of the state legislature during his second term, Walz has enacted several Democratic priorities, including the protection of abortion access and gender-affirming health care, legalizing recreational marijuana, restricting gun access, providing free school meals to all kids, and expanding paid family leave.
If Harris and Walz win the White House, he would become the third vice president from Minnesota, after Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
