Vice President Kamala Harris chose this Tuesday, August 6, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as his running mate, with the goal of building an electoral coalition of coastal progressives and Midwestern moderates to prevent Donald Trump from reaching the White House, CNN reported.
His selection is in keeping with conventional wisdom about the balance of candidates, complementing Kamala Harris—who hails from California and is seeking to become the first black woman president in US history— across demographic, cultural and political lines.
The two will appear together in public for the first time this afternoon at a rally in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)where they will kick off a tour of the country’s ‘swing’ states, which are key to securing the path to the White House.
Tim Walz, 60, is the Governor of Minnesota since 2019a position to which he was re-elected in 2022, and was considered the most progressive of the three finalists for the post.
Harris met with Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly at her official residence in Washington, the Naval Observatory, on Sunday.
He Walz’s name did not figure in the first bets, but emerged strongly after several public appearances, including one in which he called “weird” to Republican rivals.
Walz is probably the most progressive candidate, positioned at Harris’s leftand could attract working-class voters from the Midwest’s rust belt, but has been criticized for delaying the deployment of the National Guard during racial protests following the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Who is Tim Walz, vice presidential candidate and Harris’ running mate?
Born in Nebraska in 1964, Tim Walz enlisted in the National Guard as a young man and taught at a school where he met his wife, Gwen Wipplewith whom she later moved to Minnesota.
In that state he was a geography teacher and high school football coach, leading his team to win the 1999 state championship.
He made the leap into politics in 2006, when he was elected as a congressman for Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives, a position to which he was re-elected several times until 2019.
According to media reports, Harris was looking for a running mate who, in addition to helping her win the election, shared his ideals and that it is someone with whom you have personal affinity.
The Democratic Party concluded on Monday the virtual voting of delegates that has lasted for five days to formalize the presidential candidacy of Harris, who last Friday already accumulated enough votes to win the nomination.
With information from EFE and Bloomberg
