Who would replace Tim Walz as Minnesota governor if Kamala Harris picks him as VP

If Vice President Kamala Harris selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate and they win, Minnesota will see history made in his replacement.

The big picture: State law dictates that Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would be elevated to governor, which would make her the state's first female governor — and the first Native American woman to lead a U.S. state , MinnPost reports.

How it works: Walz could retain the governorship while campaigning with Harris, though he may face pressure to step down.

Zoom in: Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and already the country's highest ranking Native woman elected to an executive office, per her official bio .

• She was a Minneapolis School Board member for four years and served in the state House of Representatives before being elected lieutenant governor in 2018 alongside Walz.
• Among her accomplishments in office has been helping establish the nation's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office.

Between the lines: State Senate President Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) would then rise to lieutenant governor, making him the state's first Black lieutenant governor.

Yes, but: His ascension would leave the state Senate deadlocked 33-33 until his seat could be backfilled in a special election. (He represents a safe Democratic district.)

Zoom out: Walz would be the first Minnesotan on a major presidential ticket in 40 years.

• The governor caught the spotlight as a VP contender in one of his first big TV appearances last month when he dubbed Donald Trump and JD Vance as "weird" guys. The viral clip has become a heavily used attack line by Democrats .

Flashback: Tapping a Minnesotan as a VP pick has worked in the past. Jimmy Carter selected Walter Mondale and won in 1976 (though they lost in 1980). Mondale also unsuccessfully ran for president in 1984.

• Before that, Lyndon Johnson ran with Minnesotan Hubert H. Humphrey and won in 1964.

Axios' Kyle Stokes and Torey Van Oot contributed reporting.