VICE President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election vowing that their great partnership will beat former president Donald Trump.
The news comes two weeks before the Democratic National Convention, at which Harris is expected to be the party’s only presidential candidate.
The decision was announced by CNN and The Associated Press on Tuesday morning.
Harris confirmed her pick in an Instagram post on Tuesday morning.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @walzforgovernor to be my running mate,” she wrote.
The presidential nominee also praised Walz’s fight for middle-class families and work in the National Guard.
Prior to the post, people also reported receiving text messages from her campaign with the announcement, per a tweet on X.
Walz became Minnesota’s governor in 2019. He’s the first Democrat to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District since 1992.
He has a daughter named Hope and a son named Gus with his wife Gwen Walz.
This comes as…
The governor beat out other potential VP picks Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly for the job.
While Walz and Harris have yet to publicly address the decision, Donald Trump’s campaign shared a statement about his political opponent’s decision.
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate,” Trump Campaign Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State.
The camp slammed Walz for his policies and for “spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide.”
“If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every America’s nightmare,” the campaign slammed.
Other politicians are already sharing their reactions to the pick on social media.
“Harris-Walz: most left-wing ticket in American history,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sneered on X.
Kamala Harris has reportedly chosen Governor Tim Walz as her running mate after weeks of chaos for the Democratic Pary. Here's what to know about her pick.
Democratic politician Walz became the 41st governor of Minnesota in 2019.
The 60-year-old is a retired teacher and former non-commissioned officer in the US Army.
Walz graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2001 and Chadron State College in 1989.
He has been married to his wife and fellow teacher Gwen Walz since 1994.
The pair share two children named Hope and Gus, who were conceived through IVF and fertility treatments, per the Star Tribune.
Hope graduated from a Montana college, while Gus attends public high school in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, in 1964, and grew up in Valentine.
He is known for being punctual and graduated from Butte High School in Butte, Nebraska, in 1982.
In 1989, he taught English in China. He can converse in Mandarin.
He enjoys drinking Diet Mountain Dew and does not drink alcohol or coffee.
In 1995 — before he stopped drinking — he got a DWI in Nebraska.
When state troopers drive Walz in the state SUV as part of his governorship, he sits in the front passenger seat because he gets carsick in the back seats, per the Star Tribune.
When Walz was 19, his father died of lung cancer.
His mother, Darlene Rose, still lives in Nebraska and sometimes visits her son at the Capitol.
“Minnesota was ground zero for the BLM riots of 2020. Harris egged it on and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.”
Walz sparked online speculation that he had been offered the position on Monday night after multiple black SUVs were seen at his home – despite a spokesman saying this was his usual security detail.
Harris’ decision comes days after reports claimed she had interviewed six candidates for the role, according to an anonymous source who spoke to The Washington Post.
However, three of these reported meetings took place at her Washington DC home as she specifically reserved one-on-one time with Walz, Shapiro, and Kelly.
The Democratic nominee is expected to introduce her new running mate at a rally on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia.
Harris historically secured enough delegates to win the presidential nomination days after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed her.
Within 24 hours of her announcing her presidential campaign, a crusade of Democratic officials rallied behind her candidacy.
Harris’ team raised more than $80 million in donations within the first days of her campaign.
As the race shaped up, Harris’ VP shortlist reportedly boiled down to Shapiro and Walz as top Democrats divided their support between the two governors.
Criticism has been launched at Shapiro in recent weeks, notably over his stance on Israel amid the war in Gaza and his handling of ensuing protests
However, while several Democrats pointed to Walz as the best candidate, union leaders also threw Kelly’s name into the mix.
With the race to be Harris’ pick being condensed from the usual months-long process to just a couple of weeks, the battle had reportedly grown bitter, a strategist told The Hill.
The strategist said that the situation has “created a pressure cooker environment” in the Democratic Party despite huge excitement at being able to “pick rising talent from the bench for the ticket.”
“All opposition research and critique that would normally have time to breathe is being rushed out the door,” they added, noting that the “stakes are high.”
Rumors ran wild as several social media posts seemed to stoke speculation as to who her pick would be.
Senator Kelly caused confusion when he posted and later deleted a cryptic message on X.
The post suggested Kelly was no longer an option in the running for the ticket.
KAMALA Harris' presidential campaign is continuing to pick up pace as she has reportedly chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate - just weeks after President Joe Biden confirmed he was dropping out.
Here’s what’s next for the duo as they hit the campaign trail together:
Both Harris and Walz will appear for their first campaign rally together in Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, August 6.
It will be the first of seven swing states Harris is expected to travel to over five days – five of which she and Biden flipped blue in 2020.
These states include:
The stretch is set to be one of the heaviest weeks of campaign-related travel this election cycle.
After her week-long tour around the country, both Harris and her running mate will hit the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, from August 19 to 22.
It is here that Harris is expected to officially accept the party’s nomination and outline exactly where she and her VP candidate stand on a plethora of issues affecting the American people.
“My background is a bit different than most politicians,” the deleted post read.
“I spent my life in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans.”
Governor Shapiro was also swept up in chaos as a leaked video from last week appeared to show him as Harris’ official running mate.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker posted the surprising message, however, it was unclear if the video was an accidental reveal or an encouragement to Harris.
“I can’t think of a better partner than our Governor Josh Shapiro,” Parker said in the video, but the post’s caption had sparked more interest.
“Proud to be standing with so many leaders for @kamalaharris for President and @joshshapiropa for VP!” the caption said.
President Biden upended the Democratic Party when he shockingly announced the end of his reelection campaign, which reportedly caught White House officials by surprise.
Biden admitted to stepping aside for “the best interest” of the Democratic Party.
Democrats on Capitol Hill feared the party’s future was in jeopardy with Biden’s approval rating tanking after the debate.
AN attempted assassination of a former US president, the standing down of a current president, and a political speech by a former wrestler. Senior News reporter Anthony Blair looks back on a crazy 10 days in American politics.
Biden’s withdrawal came after top Dems and more than 50 national security officials urged him to drop out.
In the weeks since the June 27 presidential debate, reports began to surface that Democratic leaders were holding closed-door meetings with the 81-year-old president and, at times, without him.
Rattled Democratic leaders privately told Biden on several occasions that he needed to step aside and let another candidate take over to challenge the Republican Party, according to The New York Times.
These meetings reportedly included heavyweight Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
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