Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her 2024 vice presidential pick. The Harris campaign revealed the choice via an online message to supporters before a rally in Philadelphia, where Harris and her VP pick will make their first joint appearance. They will then tour other battleground states.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is also set to campaign in Philadelphia following a joint rally in Georgia on Saturday.
Who is Tim Walz?
— Walz, aged 60, has been the Governor of Minnesota since 2018. He also serves as chair of the national Democratic Governors Association. He previously served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Walz’s background includes a diverse range of experiences:
• He was born in West Point, Nebraska.
• A graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska, Walz served in the Army National Guard, and then worked as a teacher, first on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he met his wife Gwen, a fellow teacher, and then in China and later as a high school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis.
• He spent several decades as a high school educator, coaching football and serving as a faculty advisor for the school’s gay-straight alliance.
• Walz initially entered politics as a member of former Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.
• In Congress, Walz focused on veterans’ issues and agricultural policy, reflecting his roots in rural America.
• 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 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.
— Walz’s selection is seen as a strategic move to appeal to rural voters and progressives, given his track record of progressive policy achievements and his Midwestern charm.
Perspective: His appeal to rural voters could be challenged. Sources say once he became governor, Walz was more attuned to city and suburban voters, not the rural sector, telling one contact that “I don’t need the Ag vote any longer.”
— Kamala Harris has taken the lead over Donald Trump in the Economist’s poll tracker (link), marking the first time a Democratic contender has led in the national popular vote since October 2023. Harris is currently ahead with 48% compared to Trump’s 45%. This represents a significant improvement from Joe Biden’s position, as he was trailing Trump by about three points when he ended his presidential campaign. Winning the nationwide popular vote is not enough to win the presidency, as Hillary Clinton and Al Gore can attest. Harris must win battleground states, such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, which have leaned to the right of the country in recent elections.
