(Photo by Jim WATSON and Chris Kleponis / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSONCHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.
About an hour after the Associated Press and other outlets reported the news, Harris made the official announcement. The decision marks another milestone in the short period since the vice president moved to take over the top of the Democratic ticket following Joe Biden’s July 21 decision to step aside. She formally secured the nomination on Monday night.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated less than an hour after publication to include new developments, including Harris’ official announcement and responses to Walz from Donald Trump’s campaign and the Obamas.
According to the AP, Kamala Harris met with her three finalists on Sunday (August 4) and finalized her choice on Tuesday morning after discussing it with top aides on Monday.
Harris initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders. All of her potentials were white men. In landing on Tim Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.
On Tuesday, Harris also took to social media to champion her running mate pick. In addition to sharing details about Walz’s professional and personal background, she asserted confidence that together, she and Walz would “defeat Donald Trump.”
“We are going to build a great partnership; we are going to build a great team. We are going to win this election,” Harris wrote on Instagram.
Swipe below for her full statement.
Additionally, late Tuesday, VP Harris shared footage of her phone call to Tim, offering him the running mate position.
In choosing the 60-year-old Tim Walz, Harris is turning to a Midwestern governor and military veteran. Additionally, the governor is a union supporter who helped enact a Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.
Walz grew up in the small town of West Point, Nebraska. Before getting into politics, he worked as a social studies teacher, football coach, and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota.
In 2006, he won the first of six terms in Congress from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district. He used the office to champion veterans’ issues. For context, Tim Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major — one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.
Tim Walz ran for governor in 2018 on the theme of “One Minnesota” and won by more than 11 points. As governor, Walz had to find ways to work in his first term with a legislature that was split between a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-led Senate. Despite the state’s history of divided government, the arrangement was surprisingly productive in his first year.
But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota early in his second year, and bipartisan cooperation soon crumbled. Tim Walz relied on emergency powers to lead the state’s response.
Republicans chafed under restrictions that included lockdowns, closing schools, and shuttering businesses. They retaliated by firing or forcing out some of his agency heads. However, Minnesotans who were stuck at home also got to know Walz better through his frequent afternoon briefings in the early days of the crisis, which were broadcast and streamed statewide.
Walz won reelection in 2022 by nearly 8 points over his GOP challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen. Not only did Walz win, Democrats kept control of the House and flipped the Senate. For the first time in eight years, Democrats had full control of both chambers and the governor’s office.
Walz and other Democrats’ proudest accomplishments during the 2023 legislative session included sweeping protections for abortion rights. Those rights included the elimination of nearly all restrictions Republicans had enacted in prior years. Some of those restrictions included a 24-hour waiting period and parental consent requirements.
Additionally, the Minnesota governor and Dems enacted new protections for trans rights. The legislation designated Minnesota a refuge for families coming from out of state for treatment for trans children.
Their other major accomplishments included tax credits for families with children and universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of family income.
They also enacted a paid family and medical leave program, legalized recreational marijuana for adults, and made it easier to vote.
For context, the Minnesota governor has been a strong public advocate for Harris in her campaign against Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance. Walz labeled the Republicans “just weird” in an interview last month.
During a fundraiser for Kamala Harris on Monday (August 5) in Minneapolis, Walz stood by his words. He said, “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”
So, it’s no surprise that Trump’s campaign press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, dragged Walz as a running mate in a statement on Tuesday. Karoline called Tim Walz a “West Coast wannabe” who “pretends to support Americans in the Heartland” only when the cameras are on.
Additionally, Leavitt pointed out Tim’s alleged policies that would “allow convicted felons to vote” — an ironic call-out given Trump’s 2024 conviction on 34 charges in New York. See the campaign’s entire statement below.
Meanwhile, Barack and Michelle Obama released a statement praising Harris’ selection, calling Walz an “ideal partner.”
“Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and integrity to make us proud,” the collective statement said.
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Associated Press staff Zeke Miller, Collee Long, Steve Karnowski, Will Weissert, and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
