Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate

WASHINGTON: US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has announced Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate on Tuesday. Walz, 60, emerged from a list of probable candidates who had better recognition and came from politically advantageous states.

Taking to X, Harris stated, "I am proud to announce that I've asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team. Now let's get to work." Walz also made a post calling it the "honor of a lifetime." "It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I'm all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what's possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let's get this done, folks!" he said.

Harris also changed her profile cover photo on the X platform, with 'Harris Walz' on a blue background. The "chemistry" between Kamala Harris and her newly selected running mate, Tim Walz, was "really important and it really clicked for both of them," CNN reported citing a source.

"The time they spent together when Walz was campaigning for reelection in 2022, and when they visited the abortion clinic in March this year, apparently made a big impact. Then on top of that, the Harris campaign, like all of us, saw how energizing Walz was for the base. They saw how popular he is in Minnesota after passing a historic, progressive agenda here. The vetting on Walz went extremely well. So like people are saying, kind of a Goldilocks situation. Every element was just right," the source said.

Walz spent more than two decades in the Army National Guard, which included a deployment overseas after the 9/11 attacks, working as an educator and coach, before shockingly defeating a six-term Republican incumbent congressman in 2006, a wave year for Democrats, CNN reported.

Walz remained when the tide rolled out, re-elected to the typically red district repeatedly until he left to run for his current job in 2018. The six years of Walz in charge of Minnesota have seen a remarkable series of political and social upheaval.

Initially, the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the murder of George Floyd by a White police officer, which set off global anti-racist demonstrations. Walz navigated it all - alongside more usual complaints over wasteful spending - well enough that, by the beginning of 2023, he was leading a Democratic trifecta in the state government, according to CNN.

According to CNN, picking Walz underscores the Harris campaign's focus on a path to victory that puts a premium on the "blue wall" states of the Midwest. Minnesota is slightly outside that sphere, but Walz, once a high school football coach, has evolved during his time in office into something of a progressive populist folk hero - the exact kind of pugilistic voice that Democrats taking on Trump is keen to highlight. Harris' team had whittled down a field of Democratic talent to a shortlist of about six men. She was reported to have met with each of the contenders over the weekend, The Hill reported.

According to the New York Times, the Vice President viewed Walz as an 'Everyman figure' from Minnesota whose Midwestern-dad-vibe balanced out her Bay Area background, according to three people familiar with the vice president's thinking.

Harris secured her party's nomination for president, earning the support of 99 per cent of the 4,567 delegates who cast ballots at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. This came after President Joe Biden quit the presidential race amid mounting concerns over his age, particularly after his poor show in the debate with Donald Trump in June.

On the other hand, Trump, who is eyeing a comeback to the White House after a bitter exit in 2020, has named JD Vance as his running mate in the race. He is a venture capitalist and acclaimed author of the best-selling memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy.'