Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate

Kamala Harris selects Tim Walz as running mate, bringing rural perspective and liberal policies to Democrat campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday (August 6, 2024), according to three people who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

In choosing Mr. Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern Governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

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Ms. Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Republican Donald Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Mr. Walz, 60, is joining Ms. Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Ms. Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates during an exceedingly compressed time frame.

The three people spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the official announcenment later Tuesday.

Ms. Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders, all of whom were white men. In landing on Mr. Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.