Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce that Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will join her on the campaign trail as her running mate, according to campaign insiders. Analysts and observers alike positioned Gov. Tim Walz and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as the front runners, and now the hard work begins ahead of the November elections if the chatter remains true.
Vice President Kamala Harris has made a meteoric shift from supporting President Joe Biden in his reelection bid to now running her presidential campaign with tons of momentum. In recent weeks, Walz has made the rounds on several cable news shows appealing to the Democratic Party base, some who felt President Biden was no longer up to the task. Walz staunchly defended Biden on his record while dressing down his Republican Party opponent, Donald Trump.
With the base energized behind Harris, the potential Walz announcement thus far has gained wide appeal among pundits and it gives stability to the campaign despite it coming together fairly swiftly. According to CNN, the news is all but confirmed and Harris has promised that she will announce her pick on Tuesday (June 6).
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A former educator, Walz is currently in his second term as Minnesota governor and chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative-leaning rural district that, both before and after his tenure, has been mostly dominated by Republicans.
In the time leading up to his selection as Harris’ running mate, Walz had first been an outspoken defender of Joe Biden following his disastrous debate performance as calls for the president to end his reelection bid escalated. When Biden did drop out, Walz endorsed Harris the next day and has since emerged as a reliable, energetic and cutting advocate for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
While some felt that Gov. Shapiro was a lock considering his time rising the ranks in Pennsylvania politics, Walz presents a different sort of energy in a campaign that will need all the firepower it can gain against the widely popular Trump.
That said, Walz has already introduced talking points that appeal to swing voters, progressive voters, and those who feel the Democratic Party has been too passive in countering the vitriol that emerged from the Trump campaign.
One of Walz’s most significant contributions to the Harris campaign came when he labeled Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio “weird dudes” and the tag has stuck much to the chagrin of conservative pundits and the GOP alike.
On X, formerly Twitter, the reaction to the news regarding Gov. Tim Walz has gone viral. We’ve got the best reactions below.
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