US Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly named her running mate as she embarks on a tour of major battleground states. The pick is her first major decision as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris chose 60-year-old Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate on Tuesday, AP and Reuters news agencies reported. Reuters cited sources as saying Harris has yet not made a call to Walz to inform him that he was chosen.
Walz, 60, is a former US Army National Guard member and teacher who has raised his profile recently, attacking Trump and Vance as “weird.” The insult went viral and it has been embraced by the Harris campaign.
Walz is also a strong supporter of labor unions — an important part of the Democratic Party’s electoral coalition. Walz was reportedly favored by both President Joe Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Harris’s VP pick.
By choosing Walz, Harris is hoping to better appeal to working-class and rural voters in the Midwest that could help her win against Donald Trump in the general election in November. Walz’s interests in hunting, fishing, conservation and football could also attract voters who live in more rustic areas of the US heartland.
The other contenders for vice president included Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Donald Trump’s campaign on Monday labeled Walz as a “dangerously liberal extremist.” Trump earlier chose Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential running mate.
