dpa
Washington
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her vice presidential running mate in the race for the White House.
With three months to go until the US presidential election, this is Harris’ first major decision since becoming her centre-left party’s candidate to go up against former Republican president Donald Trump.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate,” Harris posted on social media.
“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.” Her still-new campaign has had to move fast since President Joe Biden ended his flailing bid for re-election two weeks ago and passed the baton to Harris.
Harris and Walz are now set to launch a tour of the key battleground states that will decide the outcome of the November 5 election.
Walz, 60, has been the governor of Minnesota since 2019. US political analysts believe the former public school teacher and member of the US Army National Guard could help Harris appeal to both working-class and progressive voters in the industrial Midwest, where key battleground states are located.
He was thrown into the spotlight last month for remarks in which he called Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, “weird.” As use of the word went viral online, the Democratic Party began to adopt the label for Trump, too.
Walz beat out Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania and Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky. Arizona Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly was also in the mix for the number two job. “It is the honor of a lifetime to join Kamala Harris in this campaign. I’m all in,” wrote Walz in his own social media post, which also showcased his folksy demeanour.
“Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school.”
