Kamala Harris picks running mate – media
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be announced by Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, as her running mate, sources close to the process have told CNN and AP.
The incumbent vice president “grew increasingly comfortable” with the governor’s candidacy in the final days of the selection process, insiders told CNN.
“If it’s him, we’re stoked. We like him,” a source in the Harris campaign commented about Walz, calling him the “staff favorite.”
Harris, who last month replaced president Joe Biden as her party’s champion in the race for the presidency, is set to formally announce her running mate at a rally in Philadelphia.
Biden dropped out of the race, mostly under pressure from party heavyweights and donors concerned with his ability to win the election following a disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
Associated Press said its sources were likewise naming Walz as Harris’ choice. He will bolster the Democratic ticket with his background as a military veteran and being a staunch supporter of the party agenda, such as protection of abortion rights, the news agency wrote of the thinking behind the choice.
The Trump campaign reacted to the news by sending a fundraising email to supporters. It described the governor as “Even worse than Dangerously Liberal and Crooked Kamala Harris,” according to quotes in the media.
The Midwestern governor recently made some waves on social media in the US by dismissing Trump and his running mate, Ohio Governor J.D. Vance, as “just weird,” during an interview on MSNBC.
Meanwhile Walz supporters in Minnesota flocked to celebrate in front of his residence.
Walz served in the Army National Guard for over two decades and worked as an educator and a coach before going into politics. In 2006, he unseated six-term Republican incumbent Congressman Gil Gutknecht in the race for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district. He was elected governor in 2016 and re-elected for a second term in 2022.
