Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, her campaign announced Tuesday.
Walz, who served on the House Agriculture Committee when he represented Minnesota's heavily rural 1st District in Congress before winning the governorship in 2018, was expected to be officially introduced Tuesday night at an event in Philadelphia.
"I’m all in," Walz said in a post on X. "Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school."
Harris' campaign account on X said of Walz, "As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team."
Walz excited Democrats with his description of Republican nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird,” an adjective that was quickly picked up as shorthand for Democrats’ criticism of the GOP ticket.
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Walz has been governor of Minnesota since 2019, winning two elections. He was elected to six terms in the House of Representatives, and was a Social Studies teacher before seeking elective office. He is 60, one year older than Harris, and brings Midwestern balance to the ticket.
Other than Walz, a top contender for the number-two spot on the ticket was Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, but strong sentiment against him emerged from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, who lobbied hard against him. Shapiro had compared protesters of U.S. support for Israel to the Ku Klux Klan.
Walz had strong support from members of Congress who served with him, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was influential in getting President Joe Biden to step out of the race.
As an avuncular Midwest governor who has a reputation for speaking plainly, Walz is seen as helping the Democrats gain support in battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, which are considered essential states for Harris to win the election.
Reaction began pouring in as soon as major news organizations reported Tuesday morning that Walz was Harris's pick. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., posted on X, "As a veteran, a high school teacher and football coach, and our Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz has been an incredible leader (and on top of that, a good friend). Let's go win this!"
Former President Barack Obama, who did not immediately back Harris for president after Biden stepped aside, did not hesitate when it came to Walz.
"Like Vice President Harris, Governor @Tim_Walz believes that government works to serve us," Obama wrote. "Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president."
In a statement, Obama cited Walz's record helping "families and businesses recover from the pandemic" and said his "signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with decency and respect."
Minnesota Agriculture Secretary Thom Petersen told Agri-Pulse he was "very excited" about Walz being picked.
"You get somebody that knows the price of corn [and] follows the markets," Petersen said. With Walz as governor, "we passed strong, agricultural budgets."
The formalities await at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which starts Aug. 19, but Republicans were ready with their line of attack. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Harris as a "San Francisco radical" in a statement, and called Walz a "progressive running statement who has voiced support for socialism."
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., a leading contender for Majority Leader, said on X, "The Harris-Walz ticket is the most radical and liberal presidential ticket in history. We can’t turn the country into California. Vote Trump-Vance."
Walz was a member of the House Agriculture Committee while in Congress from 2007 until being elected governor in 2018. He worked on the 2008, 2014 and 2018 farm bills.
Minnesota Democrat Collin Peterson, who chaired the House Agriculture Committee when Walz was a member, described him as a "loyal lieutenant."
"He understands the issues. He's been in the middle of them. That's not something that we've had, you know, in a vice president, or even a president for that matter," Peterson said in an interview with Agri-Pulse. "So he's got the background."
Walz was a member of the subcommittees on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management and Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research during his tenure in Congress.
Despite Walz’s strong ties to the agricultural sector, Peterson said the election still remains an "uphill battle" for Democrats in farm country.
"I don't know that anybody could change that. You've got a lot of those folks that are avid Trump supporters, and I'm not sure they're going to change. But at least he [Walz] can talk the talk."
Pointing out a potential vulnerability that Republicans will try to exploit, Peterson added, "He's gone a little bit to the left from where he was when he was in Congress, but hopefully on those core issues, he's still the Tim Walz that I've worked with."
Minnesota Pork Producers Association President Daryl Timmerman said the group's relationship with Walz goes back to his time in Congress, where he represented "a largely agricultural and rural district. He has knowledge and appreciation for rural issues and in the past has taken a pragmatic approach to finding common-sense solutions."
Timmerman added tat Walz "understands the contribution of Minnesota’s pig farmers to our state and the country as farmers face challenges related to foreign animal disease and an uncertain regulatory environment. We trust he will carry forward his understanding of rural America to the Harris-Walz ticket."
Lydia Johnson and Philip Brasher contributed to this story, which is being updated throughout the day.
