‘The guy is ambitious’: How Walz got on Harris’ radar — and onto the 2024 ticket

The Democratic Governors Association had an enviable problem last December. After better-than-projected midterm elections, it had an unexpectedly large pool of candidates who could potentially lead the agenda-setting group — and out of them, they chose a Midwestern governor who was not known to have his eye on the West Wing.

What that governor, Minnesota’s Tim Walz, did with that job is a big part of the reason he's Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate now.

Chair of the DGA for less than a year, Walz headlined state party events across the country, developed relationships with top media outlets and promoted a hefty slate of progressive legislation he signed as the “Minnesota Miracle.” Key donors and activists took notice. And then, ultimately, so did Harris, tapping him as her running mate — a choice that partially hinged on his deference to Harris, telling her that he wasn’t “angling for anything else.”

But Walz’s use of the DGA to expand his profile and strengthen his relationships with powerful figures in the party and the press suggested he was more politically calculating than his unassuming demeanor made it seem.

“The guy is ambitious, obviously, but he just does it in a way that is very Midwestern,” said Morgan Jackson, a Democratic strategist. “That doesn’t come off as ambitious in the way that it looks in New York or California.”

Jackson said, “He does it in a very Midwestern way.”

In February, Walz landed an appearance on Pod Save America when he was in Los Angeles for a fundraising swing for the DGA, which he followed up with another interview in July . He met off-the-record with bookers at MSNBC’s headquarters at 30 Rock in June, just weeks before he went viral with a handful of cable news appearances. Those kinds of meetings allowed Walz to woo media types who would eventually help him keep his name in the press during Harris’ search for a running mate. Walz also said “yes” to other political opportunities, hitting the road for then-Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and serving as the Democratic National Committee’s convention rules committee co-chair — a position even less known to the general public than the one he held at the DGA, but with proximity to some of the most powerful politicians in the country.

A Democratic operative who works with the DGA said Walz’s moves were clear: “We saw it as, he wants to build a national profile, build out a donor network, for whatever might be next.”

Democrats in Minnesota certainly saw it.

“Many people who were in the legislature could see that he had his eyes on higher office for quite a while” after “he started increasing his visibility nationally,” said Tina Liebling, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member who serves in Minnesota’s House of Representatives and ran against Walz in the gubernatorial primary in 2018.

“He wanted a bigger playing field,” another Minnesota DFL legislator, granted anonymity to speak freely, agreed.

It wasn’t all simply exposure. After Biden’s debate performance shook the party, Walz took the pulse of his fellow governors. They were nervous, which convinced Walz to push for a meeting with Biden in early July. Following the White House gathering, Walz told reporters and TV crews of the president, "The governors have his back.”

The way he navigated divergent opinions on Biden earned respect from his peers and caught the attention of some Democrats in Harris' orbit.

One administration official close to Harris and granted anonymity to discuss private conversations described Walz as willing, if not eager, to address the media and defend Biden. Harris was in that meeting and may have appreciated Walz’s display of loyalty during a difficult moment, the official added: “That’s the job of a vice president, standing up at your side when things are hard.”

Jamie Long, DFL majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives, described Walz’s approach during the party’s post-debate meltdown as “defending President Biden in public, while continuing to try to express concerns in private,” which he praised.

And when Biden dropped out of the presidential race July 21, Walz injected himself into the conversation again. He was on the phone with top labor leaders less than 72 hours later to get their pulse on his future.

“He has long-term relationships with these folks. It wasn’t asking for support. It was checking in with friends, taking temperatures and people validating he should go for this,” said a person familiar with Walz’s conversations with union leaders. “It was not hard asks. It was seeking advice from people he's had long-term relationships with in the movement.”

AFSCME President Lee Saunders acknowledged his communications with Walz at a union convention this week, saying that "we talked a few times during the weeks that he was being considered for the vice presidential pick” and “every time I came away more convinced that he was the right guy for the job."

But Walz, who served in the House from 2007 to 2019 and was previously the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s frontline program chair, also worked the phones to drive support among his former colleagues, according to four people familiar with the conversations.

Walz personally called and texted lawmakers who came out in support of his bid to become Harris’ running mate, ranging from Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) to Walz’s more moderate former colleagues across the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs committees. Some Walz allies described the outreach as simply sending his appreciation to old friends who were simultaneously trying to coordinate their own draft-Walz campaign.

Initially, Walz and his team knew he was an underdog for the vice presidential pick and didn’t think Harris would ultimately choose him. But his team dug in to keep him high on Harris advisers’ minds for a Cabinet position, according to two people familiar with the conversations who were granted anonymity to discuss a private matter. At the very least, Walz’s allies believed the former high school football coach could elevate his image as a Democratic team player.

One Walz ally noted that he “has made clear that he loves serving as the governor of Minnesota,” but if the president of the United States would have called on him to serve in the Cabinet, he “certainly would have entertained” the offer.

During the earliest days of Harris’ candidacy, Walz accepted roles hosting last-minute fundraisers for Harris around Minneapolis, St. Paul and elsewhere. In a string of cable news interviews, he deployed a line he had been testing for months, lacing into former President Donald Trump and Republicans as “just weird” — a simple, but effective message that Harris and her campaign worked into their own talking points.

The Midwestern dad quickly made an impression, elevating his stock with Harris’ allies and advisers at just the right time. Some Harris allies privately suggested Walz could be a good fit for a potential role like secretary of Agriculture or Veterans Affairs, if he didn’t get the vice presidential nod.

At the same time, Harris’ team raised concerns during the vice presidential search about how well she could meld with Walz, who her allies noted was known for his penchant for gruffness during his congressional tenure.

But when Harris and Walz met in person at the Naval Observatory during the veepstakes, they clicked. Walz told her , “I’m at the end of my career. This is not about me. This is about America’s working families,” adding, “And if I have to run through a brick wall, if I have to do the hard things. I’m willing to do it because I’m not angling for anything else.”

It was just what she wanted to hear.

Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota DFL Party and a longtime ally of Walz’s, said he took the governor’s remarks to Harris “at his word.” Still, he didn’t rule out bigger things for him in the future.

“Tim's a very genuine, authentic guy, and who knows what happens to him after he serves as vice president? But I don't think he's the type of guy that would be angling for anything higher,” Martin said. “Now, if it came to his doorstep, of course, I'm sure he wouldn't say no, but I just don't see that. I see him wanting to be the best partner he can be.”

Eli Stokols, Sarah Ferris and Madison Fernandez contributed to this report.