'Let’s Get To Work': Kamala Harris Picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz As Running Mate For 2024 US Election

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Tuesday selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the upcoming 2024 US elections.

Taking to X, Harris wrote, “I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work.”

Walz brings a rural Midwestern perspective to the Democrat’s campaign while also having notched liberal policy goals such as cannabis legalization and increasing worker protections.

On Monday, Harris, a daughter of immigrants who rose through the California political and law enforcement ranks to become the first female vice president in U.S. history, formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first woman of colour to lead a major party ticket.

Harris’ nomination became official after a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention delegates ended Monday night, with the party saying in a statement released just before midnight that 99% of delegates casting ballots had done so for Harris. The party said it would next formally certify the vote before holding a celebratory roll call at the party’s convention later this month in Chicago.

Who is Tim Walz?

Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st Governor. He was first elected Governor in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. Born in a small town in rural Nebraska and 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.

The choice of a running mate is one of the most consequential decisions of Kamala Harris’ political career, as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and US Senator JD Vance, his vice presidential pick in the November polls.

(with agency inputs)

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