- Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz as running mate
Kamala Harris has selected Tim Walz, a former teacher and congressman from Minnesota, as her running mate for the vice-presidential position.
Ms Harris stated on social media that he distinguished himself from other candidates due to his strong beliefs in advocating for middle class families.
However, the Trump campaign labeled Mr. Walz, aged 60, as a “radically liberal extremist”.
He is seen as someone able to attract rural and working-class voters, especially in key Midwest US states.
Mr Walz is scheduled to join Ms Harris at a campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, followed by a five-day tour of other important battleground states.
They are scheduled to make speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which will take place from August 19 to 22, where the Harris-Walz ticket will be officially announced.
He previously stated that joining the Democratic ticket was “the ultimate privilege.”
A virtual roll-call vote on Monday officially selected Ms Harris as the party’s presidential nominee.
On November 5th, they will compete against Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, in the upcoming general election.
Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz as running mate
American news outlets stated that Ms. Harris had not made a decision on her vice-presidential running mate until Tuesday morning.
Over the last two weeks, her campaign carefully examined around twelve individuals.
Ms Harris announced the selection and shared information about Mr Walz’s background, highlighting its impressiveness and its impact on his record.
She wrote that he has come through for working families like his own in his roles as a governor, coach, teacher, and veteran.
We plan to create an excellent collaboration. We may begin as ones with low odds, but I’m confident that united, we can emerge victorious in this election.
While being vetted, Mr. Walz received strong backing from pro-labour organizations and the progressive faction of his party.
He also captured notice by describing Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance, and ‘Make America Great Again’ Republicans as “strange”.
Several Democrats, including Ms Harris, have since embraced that characterization. Responding recently, Mr Trump stated that “they are the strange ones.”
Trump’s campaign criticized Mr. Walz for attempting to change Minnesota into a left-wing California, labeling him a “West Coast wannabe.”
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that if Walz refuses to be honest with voters, they will do so: Tim Walz is a highly liberal extremist, similar to Kamala Harris, and the California dream partnership between Harris and Walz is a nightmare for all Americans.
A person familiar with the selection process informed CBS, the BBC’s US news associate, that Mr. Walz was selected for his expertise and successful track record in a leadership position. Additional factors were a powerful life story, his skill at being a forceful communicator against Trump and Mr. Vance, and his strong connection with the vice president.
Other potential running mates and external organizations have come together to support his choice.
Gun safety organizations praised his change in stance after the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting, while Voters of Tomorrow, a group that mobilizes young voters, expressed enthusiasm to advocate for young Americans with the Harris-Walz Administration.
President Joe Biden stated that the pair would be the most staunch protectors of our individual liberties and our democracy.
“They will guarantee that America maintains its position as the global leader and fulfills its role as the essential nation.”
During his time as the current two-term governor of Minnesota, Mr Walz has supervised one of the most successful legislative periods in state history.
Having complete control of the state legislature, Democrats have solidified abortion rights, enhanced gun laws, established new paid family and sick leave policies, and enacted a range of other progressive priorities.
Republicans are condemning him for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis and his delayed activation of the National Guard following the violence following George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
Prior to his time as governor, Mr Walz served as a representative for a district with Republican tendencies in the US Congress for 12 years.
He secured that position in 2006 – the sole Democratic winner in the predominantly rural area in the last thirty years.
Mr Walz hails from rural Nebraska and is the offspring of a school administrator and a mother who stays at home.
He was raised farming and hunting and enlisted in the Army National Guard at age 17, where he served for 24 years.
The young Mr Walz also instructed high school students – initially for one year in China, then in Nebraska.
His spouse, Gwen Whipple, who was also a teacher, brought him to her home state of Minnesota, where he taught social studies and geography and coached football.
He has characterized his foray into politics as nearly unintentional. He mentioned that he signed up to work for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign because he was upset when two of his students were not allowed to enter a George W Bush campaign event.
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