Minnesota Governor

Harris has decided: Tim Walz will be her “running mate”

Tim Walz from Minnesota will be joining Kamala Harris in the presidential race.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jim WATSON, Chris Kleponis)

Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has decided on a running mate. The race was won by the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz - who nobody had on their radar just a few weeks ago.

Insiders had recently considered the 60-year-old to be one of the two favorites for the position of "running mate". The second promising candidate, Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, lost out.

"What impresses me about Tim is his deep-seated conviction to fight for middle class families," Harris shared on Instagram, praising his political successes. "We will win this election," she continued. On X, Harris added: "Let's get to work now." She combined the announcement with a call for donations to her supporters.

Older white man of simple words
Walz has been at the helm of Minnesota, a Midwestern state of 5.7 million people, since 2019. He is seen as a politician whose language also appeals to voters from the rural working class. At the same time, the former National Guardsman and football coach represents liberal positions on abortion and cannabis. 

Harris apparently hopes that his nomination will win the support of these white working-class voters in the Rust Belt, the majority of whom recently voted for Republicans. "He talks and looks like many of the voters we lost to Trump," a longtime Democratic operative told CNN. 

Tim Walz can look forward to a nomination for vice president.

(Bild: AP/Carolyn Kaster)

It was also no surprise from the profile that Harris would choose a white man at her side as a "counterweight" in order to cover as broad a population spectrum as possible together with him.

Top quartet complete, knives sharpened
Harris and Walz will now face off against the Republican duo of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on November 5. Both sides have already taken up arms against each other. Harris repeatedly referred to ex-President Trump as "weird" - a label that is said to go back to her current running mate. Trump, in turn, used the words "stupid", "crazy" and "freak" in reference to Harris.

Walz was not at the top of anyone's list for a long time. His election shows the power of social media. He has become an online sensation in recent days thanks to his rustic language and his strategy of branding Republicans as "weird", which has since been picked up by all Democrats.

Walz is considered a safe bet
However, it is not clear whether Walz will help the 59-year-old in the battleground states. Recent polls suggest that Minnesota is not expected to be a big contest. The state has gone blue in presidential elections since 1976.

Walz's "weird" strategy went viral in the US: 

Walz was not previously known for winning over swing voters in statewide elections. While other potential Harris candidates - such as Shapiro - did much better here.

Still, Walz is unlikely to hurt the ticket. He has won every chamber in Minnesota for the Democrats, who have since turned the state to the left. He thus serves as a contrast to Trump's running mate: J.D. Vance couldn't even get the most votes among Republicans in his home state of Ohio in the 2022 midterm elections.

Harris and Walz are expected to begin a tour of several battleground states this week where the election is likely to be decided. These "swing states" include Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.