Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her working mate on Tuesday, in line with three individuals accustomed to her choice.

Associated Press studies that her marketing campaign plans to make the formal announcement through video message earlier than the pair heads to a night rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday (August 6). Note that the three sources spoke to AP on situation of anonymity as a result of it had not but formally been made public.

The choice marks one other vital milestone within the quick interval because the vp moved to take excessive of the Democratic ticket following Joe Biden’s July 21 choice to step apart. She formally secured the nomination on Monday evening.

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Who Is Tim Walz? 

In selecting the 60-year-old Tim Walz, Harris is popping to a Midwestern governor and navy veteran. Additionally, the governor is a union supporter who helped enact a Democratic agenda for his state, together with sweeping protections for abortion rights and beneficiant support to households.

Walz grew up within the small city of West Point, Nebraska. Before stepping into politics,  he labored as a social research instructor, soccer coach, and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota.

In 2006, he received the primary of six phrases in Congress from a principally rural southern Minnesota district. He used the workplace to champion veterans’ points. For context, Tim Walz served 24 years within the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant main — one of many highest enlisted ranks within the navy.

What Has Walz Done For Minnesota While In Office? 

Tim Walz ran for governor in 2018 on the theme of “One Minnesota” and received by greater than 11 factors. As governor, Walz needed to discover methods to work in his first time period with a legislature that was break up between a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-led Senate. Despite the state’s historical past of divided authorities, the association was surprisingly productive in his first yr.

But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota early in his second yr, and bipartisan cooperation quickly crumbled. Tim Walz relied on emergency powers to steer the state’s response.

Republicans chafed below restrictions that included lockdowns, closing colleges, and shuttering companies. They retaliated by firing or forcing out a few of his company heads. However, Minnesotans who had been caught at residence additionally bought to know Walz higher via his frequent afternoon briefings within the early days of the disaster, which had been broadcast and streamed statewide.

Walz received reelection in 2022 by almost 8 factors over his GOP challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen. Not solely did Walz win, Democrats stored management of the House and flipped the Senate. For the primary time in eight years, Democrats had full management of each chambers and the governor’s workplace.

Walz and different Democrats’ proudest accomplishments in the course of the 2023 legislative session included sweeping protections for abortion rights. Those rights included the elimination of almost all restrictions Republicans had enacted in prior years. Some of these restrictions included a 24-hour ready interval and parental consent necessities.

Additionally, the Minnesota governor and Dems enacted new protections for trans rights. The laws designated Minnesota a refuge for households coming from out of state for therapy for trans kids.

Their different main accomplishments included tax credit for households with kids and common free faculty breakfasts and lunches for all college students, no matter household earnings.

They additionally enacted a paid household and medical go away program, legalized leisure marijuana for adults, and made it simpler to vote.

When Did Kamala Harris Make The Final Decision On Her White House Running Mate?

According to AP, a workforce of legal professionals and political operatives led by former Attorney General Eric Holder went over paperwork and performed interviews with potential picks.

Additionally, Kamala Harris met together with her three finalists on Sunday (August 4). She reportedly mentioned the choice with prime aides on Monday on the vp’s residence in Washington. Then, Harris finalized her alternative on Tuesday morning.

Harris initially thought of almost a dozen candidates earlier than zeroing in on a handful of great contenders. All of her potentials had been white males. In touchdown on Tim Walz, she sided with a low-key associate who has confirmed himself as a champion for Democratic causes.

The Minnesota governor has been a robust public advocate for Harris in her marketing campaign in opposition to Trump and his working mate, J.D. Vance. Walz labeled the Republicans “just weird” in an interview final month.

During a fundraiser for Kamala Harris on Monday (August 5) in Minneapolis, Walz stood by his phrases. He stated, “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”

Stay tuned for the formal announcement and extra marketing campaign developments, together with Donald Trump J.D. Vance’s reactions.

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Associated Press employees Zeke Miller, Collee Long, Steve Karnowski, Will Weissert, and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.