Vice President, Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 US presidential election in November.
Democrats hope this selection will appeal to white rural voters in key swing states.
Sources familiar with Harris’s decision confirmed it to NBC News and other media outlets on Tuesday morning.
The Harris campaign officially announced the choice via a text to supporters:
“I’m pleased to share that I’ve made my decision: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join our campaign as my running mate.
“Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for Minnesota families.
“I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president.”
Kamala Harris finalized her decision on Tuesday morning, just hours before a campaign rally in Philadelphia, which is set to start at 5 p.m. ET with her new running mate.
Tim Walz, a white Midwesterner with progressive credentials, is expected to broaden the ticket’s appeal.
Harris is a Black and Asian woman from California with a background as a prosecutor.
Democrats believe Walz’s story and progressive achievements will attract rural voters who have recently leaned towards the GOP.
Although Walz isn’t a national figure in the Democratic Party, he quickly rose to the top of Harris’s VP shortlist.
He gained attention for his sharp criticism of the Donald Trump-JD Vance agenda on cable news, and his labeling of Republicans as “weird” resonated with some voters.
While Minnesota is not a battleground state, Democrats hope Walz’s background will help win rural voters.
A Nebraska native, Walz is a military veteran and former schoolteacher. He served in the U.S. House for 12 years before becoming governor in 2019.
Since 2022, with Democrats controlling the state legislature,
Walz has passed significant funding for schools, protected abortion rights, enforced stricter gun laws, expanded legal protections for transgender youth, and restored voting rights for formerly incarcerated people.
KanyiDaily recalls that former US President, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, recently endorsed Kamala Harris for President in the 2024 elections.