Kamala Harris picks Gov. Tim Walz as vice presidential running mate

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, Harris confirmed. Harris is expected to appear in person with Walz Tuesday evening to start a tour of seven swing states.

After President Joe Biden backed out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris, Walz backed her bid.

"I’ve known Vice President Kamala Harris for years and I’ve seen her strengthen national security, protect reproductive rights, and pass historic legislation. As a prosecutor running against a convicted felon, no one is better qualified to unite our party and take on Donald Trump," Walz said on X. "I’m proud to give Kamala my full support and commit to doing everything in my power to make sure she gets elected in November."

Walz was reportedly among three finalists under consideration by Harris. Harris was also considering Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for the spot.

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A person close to the selection process told Scripps News that Walz was chosen due to his executive experience with a strong record of accomplishments, a biography that appeals to Midwest voters, an effective messenger and a strong personal rapport with Harris.

Walz, 60, is a retired educator and served for 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and would go on to win five reelection bids before being elected as Minnesota's governor in 2018.

Walz upset Republican incumbent Rep. Gil Gutknecht in 2006 before his first term in Congress. Seeking reelection in 2008, Walz won the once GOP-held district by nearly 30 percentage points.

In 2018, Walz emerged from a crowded Democratic gubernatorial primary to win with 41.6% of the vote. He then defeated Republican Jeff Johnson by a 54-42 margin in the general election.

Four years later, Walz won reelection, this time defeating Republican Scott Jensen by a 52-45 ledger.

The new Democratic ticket is poised to go up against former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick JD Vance, who earned their party's nomination during the Republican National Convention.

While many pundits thought Kelly or Shapiro were more likely choices because they hail from tight battleground states, the Trump campaign has tried to expand the map to include Minnesota in this year's election. President Biden won the state by 7 percentage points in 2020.

Although there have not been many polls taken of Minnesota since President Biden exited the race, some polls showed he and Trump in a tight race to win the state.

Following the announcement, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt released a statement.

"It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate – Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State," Leavitt said. "While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is ‘mostly cows and rocks’. From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide. If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare."