Kamala Harris has chosen progressive Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance, after weeks of speculation and a bitter battle between the candidates.
The 60-year-old father of two, who has been married to his teacher wife Gwen since 1994, is joining the list, winning over the far-left section of the party, which was concerned about the support of some other candidates for Israel.
In Minnesota, Walz established abortion rights, signed into law free school meals for all, legalized recreational marijuana and gave former prisoners the right to vote.
The former teacher is also seen as the Democrat who started calling Republicans “weird,” a craze that has dominated the campaign since Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Walz has transformed the North Star State into a sanctuary for LGBTQ Americans and has also championed Minnesota’s status as the 13th “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants.
Kamala Harris has chosen progressive Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate after weeks of speculation
Harris announced her decision after a tense election campaign in the two weeks since she took over as Biden’s campaign leader.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly were among the final three, along with Walz, who entered the November Democratic race with Harris.
The two are expected to be formally nominated as presidential and vice presidential candidates during the Democratic National Convention, which begins August 19 in Chicago.
Harris already received significant support from delegates two days after Biden announced he would end his re-election campaign.
Walz will join Harris on Tuesday evening for their first tandem campaign stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The duo will travel to six other swing states this week for a five-day campaign in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona.
After growing up in a small town in Nebraska, he began teaching, first in China before moving to classrooms in Nebraska and Minnesota.
At Makato, he taught geography and was the first faculty advisor for the school’s first gay-straight alliance, which was founded in 1999.
He also coached the school’s soccer team.
Governor Walz takes a selfie with his wife Gwen and their children Hope and Gus, both conceived through IVF and fertility treatment
Governor Walz greets Vice President Kamala Harris at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Saint Paul, Minnesota on March 14, 2024
Walz is campaigning with his wife Gwena and daughter Hope. He doesn’t drink alcohol or coffee, he’s a huge fan of Diet Mountain Dew
Walz is pictured with his wife Gwen (center) and children Hope (center right) and Gus (center left) as he is sworn in as Minnesota’s governor on January 7, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Walz and his wife Gwen have two children together: Hope, who recently graduated from college in Montana, and Gus, who attends public high school in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He doesn’t drink alcohol or coffee, is a big fan of Diet Mountain Dew, and was arrested for drunk driving in Nebraska in 1995 before he quit drinking.
Their children were conceived through IVF and fertility treatments. This is one side of his story that can be used to attack Republicans on their reproductive rights.
He was also governor of Minnesota at the time of the police killing of George Floyd and the ensuing riots that shook not only Minneapolis, but the entire country.
According to the Star TribuneWalz sits in the passenger seat on official trips because he often gets carsick in the back.
He is also a runner, served in the Army National Guard and has collected hundreds of challenge coins in his office.
Walz became governor of Minnesota in 2019 after serving six terms in the House of Representatives for the state’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses the state’s entire southern border.
He served as a top Democratic member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee during his final term, before moving into the Minnesota governor’s mansion in St. Paul.
Vice President Kamala Harris took over Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign after the president ended his re-election bid and a few days later won the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the presumptive nominee
Walz is also a runner, served in the Army National Guard and has collected hundreds of challenge coins in his office
In addition to Shapiro and Kelly, there was much speculation about others considered for Harris’ VP pick, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Reports emerged Monday afternoon that Harris had narrowed her decision to Shapiro and Walz.
Some thought choosing a running mate from a swing state would benefit Harris, such as Shapiro of Pennsylvania or Sen. Kelly of Arizona.
However, many on the left worried that Shapiro, who is Jewish, would be too pro-Israel. Democrats feared it would reignite contentious conversations about Gaza and hurt Harris’ campaign.
In addition to Shapiro and Kelly, there was much speculation about others considered for Harris’ VP pick, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
But Walz’s state of Minnesota is already solidly blue, voting for Democratic candidates in 2016 and 2020.
In Minnesota, he codified abortion rights, signed into law free school meals for all, legalized recreational marijuana and gave former prisoners the right to vote.
Governor Walz and his wife Gwen greeted Biden in Northfield, Minnesota on November 1, 2023
Minnesota voted for Hillary Clinton by 1.5 percent, compared to Donald Trump. Four years later, the blue-red ratio was widened by voting for Biden by 7.1 percent, compared to the former president.
According to the Cook Political Report, the state is considered a “lean Democrat” for the 2024 elections.
Reports emerged Monday afternoon that Harris had narrowed her decision to Shapiro and Walz.