Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz picked by Harris as her running mate on Democratic ticket
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a Biden-Harris campaign and DNC press conference on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The press conference was held to address Project 2025 and Republican policies on abortion. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday in a move meant to boost the Democratic ticket’s appeal in key Midwestern states and with blue-collar voters.
Walz, a former social studies teacher and Army National Guard veteran who won challenging elections in a rural U.S. House district before running for governor in 2018 and winning reelection in 2022, balances Harris geographically and demographically, while bringing a history of campaign wins in purple-to-red areas and a governing record among the most progressive of any contender to join the ticket.
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep,” Harris wrote in a statement. “It’s personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”
Walz was also seen as the preferred vice-presidential pick of the party’s progressive wing, especially as an alternative to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Harris interviewed both governors, and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, in Washington on Sunday as she whittled down her shortlist.