Harris Taps Minnesota Governor Tim Walz As Running Mate

 Kamala Harris on Tuesday officially tapped Tim Walz, the liberal Democrat governor of Minnesota, to be her running mate in November, putting a relatively unknown political figure into the spotlight with less than 100 days until Election Day.

CNN first reported that Harris had settled on Walz, citing “four people close to the process,” with the Associated Press following shortly behind. Harris is expected to unveil Walz at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania later this afternoon.

Walz was on a shortlist of potential running mates that also included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Walz, 60, was one of the lesser-known vice presidential contenders, but he exploded into the public eye when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month. On social media, Gen Z activists introduced Walz to their younger audience, some calling him “the mid-western dad we need as VP.”

Democrats hope Walz can help Harris whittle down the margins in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan. His folksy manner, casual dress style, small town background, and ability to talk to skeptical midwesterners are seen as assets for the progressive, coastal Harris.

At the outset of his career, the two-term governor and former congressman initially presented himself as a moderate. But over time, Walz has increasingly leaned Left and implemented a sweeping progressive agenda.

As governor, Walz signed a bill allowing illegal migrants to get driver’s licenses, and gave more than 55,000 formerly incarcerated people the ability to vote again. He also signed legislation legalizing recreational marijuana, tightening gun laws, making abortion a “fundamental right,” and preserving legal transgender medical interventions for children.

Walz was governor when the violent George Floyd riots swept Minneapolis. The riots resulted in at least two deaths, more than 600 arrests, and more than $500 million in property damage to hundreds of businesses. Afterward, the city’s police force hemorrhaged officers.

 

During the COVID pandemic, Walz declared a peacetime state of emergency, forcing schools and restaurants to close and mandating masks indoors. Republicans slammed Walz for his stringent COVID restrictions, as well as the state’s nursing home deaths. They also accused him of refusing to build relationships with them, unlike other Democrat governors.

In the summer of 2020, a conservative group sued over Walz’s mask mandate, arguing that Walz had made a power grab and that the law allowing the emergency declaration was unconstitutional. They lost their case in the spring.

Walz is a veteran of the Army National Guard, where he served for 24 years. He also coached high school football and taught social studies before he was elected to Congress in 2006 as a Democrat in a red district. He was first elected governor in 2018 and shares two children with his wife, Gwen Whipple, a fellow teacher.

In recent weeks, Walz has frequently appeared on television to slam the Trump-Vance ticket, saying, “These guys are just weird,” during a recent MSNBC appearance.

Notably, former President Donald Trump also chose a midwesterner as his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.

Walz and Vance have one common denominator: their love of diet Mountain Dew.