This combination of pictures created on August 2, 2024, shows Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2024, and Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz in Washington, D.C., July 3, 2024. | Source: JIM WATSONCHRIS KLEPONIS / Getty
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has chosen her vice presidential running mate.
Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, was selected to be Harris’ vice presidential candidate, according to widespread reports.
Walz is expected to be formally introduced as Harris’ running mate at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon.
The Associated Press reported:
In choosing Walz, she’s turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families. The people were not authorized to speak publicly about the choice and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Walz was among three finalists to be Harris’ vice presidential running mate, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
The selection means that the Harris-Walz campaign will faceoff against Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance in November.
The report that Harris has chosen Walz as her vice presidential running mate came hours after the sitting vice president formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday night, solidifying her status as the first Black woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.
Walz, a former school teacher who spent 24 years in the Army National Guard, is a popular governor in Minnesota whose legislative accomplishments notably include signing a law guaranteeing free breakfast and lunch for all students in the state.
Nearly one year ago, Walz named Natalie Hudson to become the first Black chief justice of the Minnesota State Supreme Court. Walz’s promotion of Hudson meant that “Black people are becoming the face of justice in this state and not just injustice,” Anansi Wilson, director of the Center for the Study of Black Life and the Law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, told the Associated Press at the time.
Walz was also credited for efforts to restore peace and calm in Minneapolis in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020.
The selection of Walz as Harris’ running mate comes a little less than a week before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the pair is expected to accept their respective nominations formally.
Sheletta Brundidge, an author and activist in Minnesota, noted in a recent op-ed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Walz has “shown himself to be a powerful ally for Black women and women of color.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of National Action Network, hailed Harris’ pick of Walz as her vice presidential running mate.
“Four years ago, we stood in Minneapolis to demand justice for George Floyd and accountability for not only the officer who murdered him, but his colleagues who stood idly by. We were honest about Governor Walz’s response, and he heard the calls we made for actual justice,” Sharpton said in a statement sent to NewsOne.
Sharpton added: “Governor Walz has already shown he isn’t afraid to take on those who want to move our country backward, which will only be an asset in moving us forward. You can already see he is ready and willing to support Kamala Harris as she seeks to become the first Black female president, knocking down one of the greatest barriers in the process.”
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
SEE ALSO:
The Kamala Effect: More Black People Plan To Vote Compared To When Biden Was Nominee, New Poll Finds
How Kamala Harris’ Candidacy Is Inspiring Young Black Voters In Texas
