Kamala Harris, the de facto Democratic nominee for US president, has named Tim Walz the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate ahead of the November election.
The decision ends intense speculation over which candidate Harris would pick to go up against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president, and his choice for vice-president, Ohio senator JD Vance.
Some political commentators had suggested that, as the first woman of colour nominated by a major party, Harris was mostly likely to pick a white man to balance the ticket.
The 59-year-old former California senator is looking to build on a successful campaign launch after stepping in to replace Joe Biden, who bowed to pressure from Democratic colleagues and dropped out of the race after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
Harris and her running mate can expect a rapturous welcome at the Democratic national convention in Chicago starting on 19 August. She has been endorsed by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
A New York Times/Siena College national opinion poll published on 25 July found that Harris has narrowed what had been a sizable Trump lead. Trump was ahead of Harris 48% to 46% among registered voters, compared with a lead of 49% to 41% over Biden in early July.
Walz was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 after serving several years as U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s First Congressional District. Before that, he was a teacher, coach and member of the Army National Guard.
As governor, Walz has touted his accomplishments including providing free school meals to all students in Minnesota, protecting reproductive freedom, cutting taxes for the middle class, and expanding paid leave for workers, among other policies.
In addition to being the governor, he is also the co-chair of the Democratic Convention Rules Committee.
Walz was born in Nebraska and after high school, he enlisted in the Army National Guard. He graduated from Chadron State College with a social science degree in 1989. He then spent a year teaching abroad before returning home to serve full-time in the National Guard and teach high school, as well as accept a coaching position.
Walz is married to Gwen Walz. They moved to Mankato, Minnesota, where they both worked at Mankato High School, where he taught social studies and helped coach the Mankato West football team.
He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, representing Minnesota’s First Congressional District, and was re-elected for another five terms before running for governor of Minnesota.
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In the weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for president, Walz has been campaigning for Harris as the Democratic nominee and next president — and drawing a lot of attention while doing it despite not having much of a national profile.
In the hours after Biden dropped out, Walz was on the phone with Harris. He wouldn’t quite say what the conversation was about but he enthusiastically praised the vice president, especially for her groundbreaking appearance in St. Paul when she became the first sitting VP or President to visit an abortion clinic.
The second-term DFL governor was seen as a dark horse early on but got a boost from social media and has created excitement after a series of appearances on national networks, including FOX News.
Walz drew support from Democrats while making headlines and going viral for his comments, including starting the Harris campaign’s “weird” attack line against former President Donald Trump and JD Vance. Those who support him have cited his experience passing liberal priorities in Minnesota, as well as his background as a teacher, coach and veteran of the National Guard.
Even before Biden dropped out, some in Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation said Walz would make a great vice president, including U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (she hasn’t yet endorsed Walz for VP) and U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum.
Credible News.ng
