Kamala Harris Picks Tim Walz As Running Mate: Will Minnesota Governor Help Dems Take Swing States In November?

Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Tuesday as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.

Here's a look at what Walz could mean for Harris’ campaign.

What Happened: Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee for the 2024 election after incumbent President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Nearly four years to the day (Aug. 11, 2020) after Harris was selected to be Biden's running mate in the 2020 election, Harris has made her selection for this year’s Democratic ticket.

Harris announced Walz as her running mate, ending weeks of speculation as to who she would select as her vice-presidential candidate.

Walz has served as the governor of Minnesota since 2019, after winning the 2018 election. Prior to serving as governor, Walz was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.

The Minnesota governor served in the Army National Guard for 24 years. Walz was also a high school social studies teacher and football coach.

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Why It's Important: The selection of Walz by Harris comes as the vice president is gaining momentum in the race against former President Donald Trump.

Harris hopes to carry that momentum with the official announcement, similar to a news push and strength that Trump initially showed after selecting Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.

Selecting Walz comes as a bit of a surprise: other candidates were leading in betting odds and on prediction markets in recent weeks.

Minnesota has been won by the Democratic presidential candidate in each election since 1976, also making the selection a bit of a surprise, as everal leading VP contenders represent important swing states in the 2024 election. Minnesota represents 10 electoral votes in the 2024 election.

Walz is said to be well-liked by Democratic members of Congress, with several other leading candidates being more divisive within the party.

An ABC News report said Walz is in the bottom half of gubernatorial approval rankings from state voters, with a net approval ranking of +5.9 points using multiple polls.  

Harris is hitting the campaign trail with Walz in several swing states. Upcoming stops include the seven swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.  

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