Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, selecting a partner she believes will best complement her in a historic and intense bid for the White House.
Walz was among a shortlist of Democratic figures considered capable of broadening Harris’s appeal as she enters the race against Donald Trump.
Aiming to make history as the first woman president, Harris—already a trailblazer as the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president—faces a tight timeline with Election Day on November 5 rapidly approaching.
The decision was first reported by CNN early Tuesday morning.
It was widely expected that Harris would pick a white man to balance the ticket, choosing someone who could counter Republican criticisms that she is too far to the left.
Walz, a 60-year-old Midwesterner with a down-to-earth demeanor, hails from a state that contrasts sharply with the coastal elites of California, where Harris is from, and the East Coast. He is also likely to appeal to progressives, having championed popular Democratic policies such as cannabis legalization and increased worker protections.
The duo will immediately hit the campaign trail, beginning an intense five-day tour through battleground states, starting in Pennsylvania.
Fresh off securing the official Democratic nomination, Harris can now head to the national convention in Chicago in two weeks, firmly in control of her party.
Harris’s journey has been remarkable, as she only entered the race last month after President Joe Biden withdrew, citing mounting concerns over his mental acuity and ability at 81 to serve a second term.
In a campaign just two weeks old, the 59-year-old former prosecutor has shattered fundraising records, drawn large crowds, and dominated social media, closing what had been Trump’s growing lead in the polls over Biden.
The latest presidential poll by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, released Monday, shows Harris leading Trump nationally by three points—46% to 43%—compared to Trump’s four-point lead over Biden in January.
In the crucial swing states that determine the Electoral College outcome in U.S. elections, Harris is running neck and neck with Trump, who shocked the world with his 2016 victory but was defeated by Biden in 2020.
Selecting a vice-presidential running mate was seen as Harris’s first major test in her bid to become the nation’s chief executive.
“It tells you about her thought process,” Amy Walter, a polling expert from the Cook Political Report, told CBS News.
Now, Harris and Walz will face their first test on the ground as they embark on a nationwide tour this week, traveling from Philadelphia to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada. Tropical Storm Debby has forced the postponement of a stop in another swing state, Georgia, as well as North Carolina, according to media reports.
Pennsylvania is part of the “blue wall” that helped Biden secure the White House in 2020, along with Michigan and Wisconsin. This was one of the main reasons many expected Harris to choose Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, as her running mate.
Also on the shortlist for vice president were former astronaut and current Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
