'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election on Tuesday. This decision follows Harris’s replacement of President Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Harris and Walz will make their first joint campaign appearance in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. “I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Harris posted on X.
The announcement came after Harris informed Walz of her decision via a video call on Tuesday morning, following a night of deliberation. Harris’s team was sent to the Minnesota governor’s mansion to congratulate him and accompany him to Philadelphia for the rally.
Walz expressed his enthusiasm, calling it the “honor of a lifetime” and declaring, “I’m all in.” He added, “Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!”
Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard and a decade in the US House of Representatives before becoming governor in 2018, was selected after impressing Harris with his positive attitude during the vetting process, sources told CNN.
Conservatives reacted strongly to the announcement, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis labeling the Harris-Walz ticket the “most left-wing in American history” and criticizing Walz for his handling of the 2020 protests in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death.
Walz faced criticism from both sides during the protests, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accusing him of being slow to deploy the National Guard to control the riots, which resulted in significant property damage and looting.
Additionally, Walz has been criticized for his response during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a costly but unused morgue facility and a significant fraud scheme involving federal COVID stimulus funds.
Despite these controversies, Democrats hope Walz will project a centrist image, having won his gubernatorial election by a large margin, outperforming Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential results in the state.
However, Walz remains relatively unknown nationally, with a recent poll from NPR, PBS, and Marist indicating that 71% of US adults were unfamiliar with him or unsure of how to rate him.
Harris had to quickly choose her running mate after the Democratic National Committee enforced a virtual roll call vote to appoint both nominees in early August. After Biden suspended his campaign, Harris’s team expedited the vetting process.
Harris considered several potential candidates, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who acknowledged his candidacy after the decision was made. Other early contenders included North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a strong supporter of the Biden-Harris administration, was not considered due to constitutional restrictions preventing a vice presidential candidate from the same state as the presidential nominee.
With Walz on the ticket, Harris aims to strengthen her appeal to voters in swing states, particularly focusing on minority voters in battleground regions.
“Tim Walz is an exceptionally effective governor — and also great to work with. I’m excited for what his Midwestern voice, military experience, and common-sense values will bring to our winning ticket, and for everything the Harris-Walz administration will deliver for Americans,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on X.
