Breaking News
Vice President Harris has
chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to be her running mate as she heads
toward a November faceoff against Donald Trump, according to two sources
familiar.
Walz, 60, emerged as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 slot as
chatter over other high-profile names, in particular Pennsylvania Gov.
Josh Shapiro (D) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), dominated the early
portion of the veepstakes.
But the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably over the
last week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he
derided some Republicans as “weird” — a line of attack later adopted by
national Democrats.
Walz was also seen by many as a safer choice for Harris thanks to his
liberal bona fides and the fact that some of the other contenders had
come under fire from certain segments of the left. Shapiro received
heavy scrutiny recently over his response to pro-Palestinian protests
that emerged in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, while both he and
Kelly drew the ire of union leaders.
Adding to Walz’s appeal is the fact that he hails from a Midwestern
state that Trump has increasingly set his sights on flipping. Though
Biden won Minnesota in 2020 by 7 points, and no Republican has won the
presidential race there in more than 50 years, Trump and his running
mate JD Vance have stepped up their efforts to campaign in the state.
