Kamala Harris picks battle tested Tim Walz as running mate

Two weeks after President Joe Biden passed the baton to Kamala Harris after dropping out of the presidential race, the Vice President has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to be her running mate.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee announced her choice Tuesday in a post on Instagram and in a text message to supporters, praising his support for middle class families and his personal history serving in the National Guard and working as a high school geography teacher.

“I share this background both because it’s impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record,” Harris wrote on Instagram.

“But what impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family: Gwen, Gus, and Hope,” she added, referencing Walz’s wife and children. “Doug and I look forward to working with him and Gwen to build an administration that reflects our shared values.”

“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Harris wrote. “We are going to build a great partnership. We are going to build a great team. We are going to win this election.”

Walz, 60, emerged as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 slot as chatter over other high-profile names, in particular Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), dominated the early portion of the veepstakes, according to the Hill.

But the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird” — a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats.

Harris and Walz will storm battleground states this week, starting Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. The two will travel later this week to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. Planned trips to North Carolina and Georgia were reportedly postponed as Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Southeast.

Harris picked Walz for his executive experience and leadership on issues that the campaign also hopes to focus on, including child tax credits, gun safety and abortion rights, NPR reported citing sources close to the campaign.

They also pointed to his Midwest background, which could help appeal to key voters, and ability to be an effective messenger against the Republican nominee former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

Walz is fond of one-liners and dad jokes that he uses to poke at political rivals. He recycles them often. He’s also not afraid to look frumpy and often sports a plain T-shirt and a ballcap to more casual occasions instead of a suit, according to NPR.

He talks fast — a symptom of being a former high school football coach — which often makes him trip over words or leads to some confusing run-on sentences.

With Harris, who became the official presidential nominee Monday evening, Democrats have seen renewed enthusiasm at rallies and with donors.

Republicans were already pouncing on the choice and tying his policies to Harris’ home state of California. Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement: “Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare.”

Walz was born and raised in rural Nebraska and enlisted in the Army National Guard at age 17. He frequently points to his upbringing in a small community, noting that several of his cousins were classmates.

He earned a social science degree from Chadron State College in Nebraska in 1989 funded by the GI Bill, then spent a year teaching in China through a Harvard University exchange program before returning to teach students in his home state.

He met his wife, Gwen Whipple, while teaching. The pair moved to Minnesota in 1996 and taught at a high school in Mankato, Minn. Walz also spent time coaching football and was an assistant on a state title winning team.

In 2006, after a Congressional race that focused on the Iraq war and state of the economy, Walz upset longtime Republican US Rep. Gil Gutknecht. He represented southern Minnesota in Congress for more than a decade before announcing his bid for governor in 2017.

Walz won the race for governor over Republican Jeff Johnson. In 2022, Walz won reelection after campaigning on a promise to protect access to abortion services in Minnesota after the rollback of Roe v. Wade.