PHILADELPHIA – Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz may not be widely recognized beyond his state.
However, following Vice President Kamala Harris’s announcement that Walz would be her running mate for the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket, the campaign quickly set out to highlight his profile.
His background information was distributed across various social media platforms including Instagram and X, which was formerly known as Twitter, alongside a newly released video featuring the governor.
On Tuesday evening, Harris and Walz commenced an extensive campaign tour in Pennsylvania’s largest city, marking the beginning of activities across crucial battleground states that could be pivotal in their 2024 election challenge against former President Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance from Ohio.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS ANNOUNCES MINNESOTA GOV. TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE
The scoreboard at the Liacouras Center during Vice President Kamala Harris’ inaugural rally with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Introducing Walz is crucial, as recent polls show that 70% of Americans lack sufficient knowledge about him to form an opinion, according to a Marist College survey conducted for NPR and the PBS NewsHour.
As she boarded Air Force Two en route to Philadelphia, Harris expressed confidence that Walz “will make an excellent vice president,” addressing questions regarding why he was chosen over other prominent candidates like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. Shapiro was anticipated to speak at the rally.
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In an announcement on Tuesday afternoon, the Harris campaign highlighted that they raised over $10 million from grassroots supporters shortly after the vice president’s selection of Walz, calling it “one of the best fundraising days of this campaign cycle.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz talks to the media at the White House after participating in a meeting with President Biden and other Democratic governors on July 3, 2024. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
The choice of the 60-year-old Walz didn’t come as a surprise; his name had been circulating among potential candidates since Harris took over as the party’s frontrunner a fortnight earlier.
Walz, a former high school teacher and coach who dedicated almost 25 years to the National Guard, was elected to Congress in 2006 and successfully re-elected five times. He served Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, primarily a rural area in the southern part of the state.
Including the straightforward Walz on the national ticket not only aids Harris in Minnesota—a state leaning Democratic in presidential elections that the Trump campaign aims to target—but also benefits her in the adjoining Midwestern battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan.
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The governor will have a chance to highlight a series of progressive policy achievements in Minnesota, such as safeguarding abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana, and implementing measures to control gun violence. Opting for Walz over more centrist Democrats like Shapiro and Kelly will also resonate positively with the party’s progressive faction.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s made a real difference for working families like his,” Harris claimed while announcing her selection.
Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 6, 2024, en route to a campaign event in Philadelphia after announcing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Harris remarked that “one aspect that impressed me about Tim is his deep commitment to advocating for middle-class families.”
“It’s a personal journey,” she elaborated. “He grew up in a small Nebraska town, spending his summers on the family farm. He lost his father to cancer at 19, and his family depended on Social Security survivor benefits to survive. He enlisted in the National Guard at 17, serving for 24 years, and utilized his GI Bill benefits to attend college and become an educator.”
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This view sharply contrasts with that of the Trump campaign, which quickly targeted Walz.
“Kamala Harris has just reaffirmed her extreme vision for America by choosing another left-wing radical as her VP nominee,” a spokesperson in a new Trump campaign video asserted. “Tim Walz will simply echo Kamala’s dangerous liberal agenda.”
Republican running mate Senator JD Vance critiques Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during a Trump campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Vance, speaking in Philadelphia just hours before the Democratic ticket’s arrival, dismissed Walz’s gubernatorial record as “a joke,” labeling him “one of the most extreme members of the U.S. government at any level.”
In the upcoming week, Vance will follow Harris and Walz as they host events in key swing states.
Stay updated with the latest from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more on our Fox News Digital election hub.
