MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Harris picks Minnesota Governor as running mate

The Nebraska-born Walz was elected the 41st governor of Minnesota in 2018 and re-elected in 2022

US Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on behalf of the Democratic Party for the Nov. 5 polls. “I am proud to announce that I've asked Governor Tim Walz to be my running mate,” Harris stressed. Her decision was much awaited since President Joseph Biden decided to step down from his reelection bid.

Harris argued that Walz would be a champion for the middle class and working families. “As a governor, coach, teacher, and veteran he has delivered results for working families like yours,” Harris said on social media. “One of the things that struck me about Tim is how his convictions to stand up for the middle class run deep for him,” she added.

“We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election,” Harris also pointed out.

Harris recalled that Walz lost his father at age 19 and his family relied on Social Security benefits to make ends meet and that he has served in the National Guard for 24 years and is one of the beneficiaries of the so-called 'GI Bill', which has allowed generations of middle-class people to access affordable higher education.

The Democratic candidate noted that he has worked with Republican lawmakers to pass infrastructure investments, cut taxes for “working families” and made Minnesota the first state in the country to take steps to shield the right to terminate a pregnancy after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, which protected abortion rights at the federal level.

“Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible record of accomplishment for Minnesota families. I am confident that he will bring the same principled leadership to our campaign and to the Office of Vice President,” Harris added.

Walz, 60, has been questioned for his response to the Minneapolis riots in 2020 following the death of George Floyd and the controversy over the misuse of federal funds during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump was quick to dub him a “radical leftist.”

Walz said on X it was the “honor of a lifetime” to be Harris' running mate. “Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what's possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school,” he also wrote.

Walz is the third Minnesota state official to be selected as a vice presidential candidate in the Democratic Party, following Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. Both were elected to office alongside former Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter. No Republican presidential candidate has won in Minnesota in more than 50 years. The Nebraska-born Walz was elected the 41st governor of Minnesota in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Harris' presidential nomination is to be made official ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 19.