A co-chair for the Harris-Walz campaign revealed Tuesday that the Minnesota governor said during an interview for the running mate slot that he didn’t harbor presidential ambitions.
Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, appearing on CNN shortly after the Democratic ticket spoke for the first time together before an energized Philadelphia crowd, provided some insight into Harris’ decision-making process.
“I’ll tell you what the most important thing was: [Harris] wanted someone who would always put the American people first,” Richmond told anchor Kasie Hunt. “She understood the role of the vice president of the United States. And she wanted someone that she had chemistry with, because they’re going to have to do a lot of bold things, and they’re going to have to be on the same page.”
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“Gov. Walz fit that mold,” Richmond continued, “and he expressed that he didn’t have ambitions to be president.”
“I’m at the end of my career. This is not about me. This is about America’s working families,” Walz said in the face-to-face, Politico reported. “And if I have to run through a brick wall, if I have to do the hard things,” he added, “I’m willing to do it because I’m not angling for anything else.”
That squares with what CNN reported earlier: that Walz “aced” the interview process, during which he said he would be deferential to Harris in the role of vice president, and that he didn’t have an eye for the Oval Office. Sources told the outlet that that was a big plus for the Harris team, which wanted to avoid any bigfooting or palace intrigue in her administration.
That same factor may have been detrimental to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s chances, CNN also reported, with one source telling that outlet that “it was a striking contest” between him and Walz in that regard.
Harris and Walz are scheduled to visit several battleground states over the next week.
