Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
CNN first reported the vice president's decision.
An unassuming former high school teacher and football coach, Walz, 60, emerged as a surprise standout in the Democratic veepstakes by coining the viral label “weird” for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
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The chief executive of a Democratic-leaning state that Republicans have nonetheless said they are making a play for, the Minnesotan brings rural roots and Midwestern appeal to crucial swing states Harris needs to win.
Walz served in the Army for two dozen years and served six terms in the U.S. House before he was elected governor in 2018.
Governor Tim Walz greets Kamala Harris as she arrives at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Saint Paul, Minnesota on March 14, 2024.
Stephen Maturen/GettyAfter his reelection in 2022, and with his party in full control of the state government, he led what his local paper called “one of the most consequential sessions in state histor," passing a slew of liberal initiatives, including providing driver's licenses to unauthorized immigrants.
Trump posted on his social media site Tuesday: "TIM WALZ WOULD BE THE WORST VP IN HISTORY! Even worse than Dangerously Liberal and Crooked Kamala Harris - HE’S THAT BAD. He’ll unleash HELL ON EARTH and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable."
In the frenzy leading up to his selection, he was championed by labor unions.
Walz also seemed to be former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s top choice for VP; a source familiar with her thinking told The Hill that she “is always especially fond of former House colleagues.”
Harris, who became the instant presumptive Democratic nominee for president the day President Joe Biden caved to intense pressure to exit the race, placed courtesy calls Tuesday morning to the other finalists who had campaigned and auditioned for the No. 2 slot during a frenzied past few weeks.
The field included Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg of Indiana.
