Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice president. He has a record of progressive policies he said Trump will likely criticize.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images, Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
America finally has a Democratic ticket for the presidential election, with Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
He's already been preparing to face attacks from former President Donald Trump.
As a former high school teacher, Walz has championed education issues while serving Minnesota, including free college tuition for low-income families and free breakfast and lunch to students at participating schools in the state.
Along with education, Walz has pushed for legal protections for abortion, legalizing marijuana, and placing more restrictions on guns, all issues he said would likely face the wrath of Trump and other conservatives.
"What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn, and women are making their own healthcare decisions, and we're a top-five business state and we also rank in the top three of happiness," Walz told CNN during an interview on July 28. "Look, they're going to label whatever they're going to label."
Walz and Harris have similar track records on education policy. They both have supported free community college and stood behind efforts to forgive student debt for borrowers. Walz wrote on Twitter in 2018 that "student loan debt is a crisis in our state. Every student deserves a shot at a college education and soaring costs shouldn't stand in the way."
Both Trump and his VP pick, JD Vance, have opposed student-loan forgiveness and have stood opposite progressive policies, like gun control and abortion rights. Trump's campaign sent out an email blast on Tuesday saying that Walz will "unleash HELL ON EARTH" and "rubber stamp Kamla's GREEN NEW SCAM and light TRILLIONS of dollars on fire."
Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers have lauded Harris' pick: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that Harris made an "excellent decision," and "they won't back down under tight odds, either - from healthcare to school lunch."
Walz has yet to make an official statement on being selected as VP, but it's likely he'll continue to champion his progressive policies alongside Harris.
"The fact of the matter is, where you see the policies that Vice President Harris was a part of making, Democratic governors across the country executed those policies, and quality of life is higher, the economies are better, educational attainment is better," Walz told CNN "So yeah, my kids are going to eat here, and you're going to have a chance to go to college, and you're going to have an opportunity to live where we're working on reducing carbon emissions."
Have you taken advantage of free college tuition in your state? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.
