US Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election. Harris announced her choice on X, praising Walz’s dedication to working families and his achievements as a governor, teacher, coach, and veteran.
Walz, a former teacher and US Army National Guard member, has implemented various progressive policies in Minnesota, including:
- Ensuring tuition-free meals at participating state universities
- Enshrining abortion rights into state law
- Banning conversion therapy
- Providing protections for gender-affirming healthcare
- Oversaw sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families
- Signed the “Taylor Swift bill” into law
Harris chose Walz after considering nearly a dozen candidates, all of whom were white men. Walz’s selection indicates Harris’s intention to strengthen her campaign in the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics. Minnesota has produced two previous vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who supported Walz’s first congressional campaign in 2006.
Walz’s background includes growing up in small-town Nebraska, serving 24 years in the US Army National Guard, and championing veterans’ issues in Congress. He has frequently appeared on national television, including an interview on Fox News that drew criticism from Donald Trump.
Walz’s liberal record has been described as the “most progressive” among Harris’s potential running mates. When asked about potential risks, Walz joked, “What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn. Women are making their own healthcare decisions.”
Harris’s selection of Walz aims to shore up support in the Midwest, where Trump has indicated he will focus his campaign efforts.
