Kamala Harris has a running mate … he is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Walz has been stumping hard for Harris since President Biden stepped aside and endorsed her … and you may have seen him leading the charge, calling Donald Trump and J.D. Vance “weird.”
The 60-year-old was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018, winning by 11%, and reelected in 2022, winning by almost 8%. With Minnesota considered a Democratic-leaning swing state in the upcoming presidential election, Walz could help Harris secure some much-needed electoral college votes if they win his state. He’s very popular in the midwest, so he could also help in battleground states such as Wisconsin.
As Governor, Walz established “ironclad” reproductive freedom, secured protections for transgender people, banned conversion therapy and ended book bans based on ideology … and he got free school lunches for every kid in the state.
Harris was considering Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, both of whom are moderates … so it’s interesting she’s going the progressive route here.
One thing that could become a problem for Harris … she’s walked back a number of her progressive positions and become more moderate … so picking Walz could trigger questions as to whether she’s a true moderate or a progressive in disguise.
Walz was born in Nebraska and got a college degree in teaching, moving to Minnesota in 1996 to take a job as a high school geography teacher and football coach.
He’s married with 2 kids, so Vance can’t get catty with him.
Harris and Walz are expected to hit 7 battleground states this week, so it’s on.