Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her 2024 vice-presidential running mate.
Walz, 60, is a governor in a solidly Democratic state, but has proven that he appeals to rural, white voters, who in recent years have broadly voted for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in,” wrote Walz on the social media platform X after the announcement on Tuesday.
“Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us,” he wrote, linking to the campaign’s donations page.
Pennsylvania Democratic strategist Mustafa Rashed said Harris needs to stay connected to the working-class, white male voters and moderates, which is what she will need to win the White House.
“I think [Walz’s] approval rating is really high. Republicans like him. He’s smart. He’s been around a long time. A lot of great relationships,” said Rashed.
While Minnesota is a dependably Democratic state, it is close to Wisconsin and Michigan, two crucial battlegrounds.
Walz helped label Republicans as ‘weird’
Walz was not initially considered a front runner for VP, but has recently proven he is a strong messenger, and helped label Trump and the Republicans as “just weird” in an interview last month. Democrats have seized on the message and amplified it since then.
During a fundraiser for Harris on Monday in Minneapolis, Walz said, “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”
Walz, who grew up in the small town of West Point, Neb., was a social studies teacher, football coach and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before he got into politics. He also served in the U.S. Army National Guard for 24 years.
Walz flipped a Republican seat in rural Minnesota in 2006 to represent the state. He was viewed as a moderate Democrat who supported gun rights and was elected to Congress a total of six times before leaving the House to run for governor in 2018.
The Washington Post has reported that Walz’s views changed on gun laws that year after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The paper said he donated all the money he had ever received from the National Rifle Association to charity and pushed for background checks for gun owners.
Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who was chosen by Donald Trump as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, says he wants to debate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the newly announced running mate to Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.
“It’s true. I’m a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner. But I’m also a dad. And for many years, I was a teacher. I know basic gun safety isn’t a threat to my rights. It’s about keeping our kids safe,” Walz wrote on X on July 27.
“I had an A rating from the NRA. Now I get straight F’s. And I sleep just fine,” he wrote.
Harris, the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to serve as vice-president, chose Walz after considering a field of finalists made up of white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.
Harris is expected to appear with Walz in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.
Americans typically focus on the person at the top of the ticket when choosing whom to vote for, but vice-presidential candidates can help or hurt their running mates based on their backgrounds, home state popularity and ability to sway important constituencies or independent voters.
Trump VP pick off to rocky start
Trump’s vice-presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, has had a rocky start since joining the Republican ticket, with old comments criticizing “childless cat ladies” drawing unwelcome attention and potentially alienating women voters.
Vance will follow Harris and her new running mate to several swing states this week, the Trump campaign said, including stops in South Philadelphia on Tuesday and Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday. He plans to criticize Harris on economic issues and immigration.
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate,” said a statement from Trump and Vance’s campaign team.
“While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is ‘mostly cows and rocks,'” wrote Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign press secretary.
“Just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare,” the statement said.
Harris became the Democratic Party’s standard bearer after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign last month. Since then, she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and recast the race against Trump with a boost of energy from her party’s base.