Kamala Harris announces Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate
Kamala Harris has chosen military veteran Tim Walz to be her running mate, as ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports
Kamala Harris has introduced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the nation as “the vice president America deserves” at a raucous rally in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Harris announced on Tuesday that Walz will become her vice presidential candidate for the United States' upcoming election.
Speaking to the crowd in Philadelphia, Harris said about Walz: “He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big.
"That’s the kind of vice president America deserves."
Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz said: “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead."
In an earlier post on X, Harris said Walz has "delivered for working families like his", referring to his work as a governor, coach, teacher and veteran.
In his own post on the social media platform, Walz said joining Harris on the campaign was "the honour of a lifetime".
"Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school," he said.
"So, let’s get this done, folks!"
Walz has served 12 years in the House representing a conservative-leaning rural district historically dominated by Republicans. He currently leads the Democratic Governors' Association.
Harris formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday - becoming the first woman of colour to lead a major party ticket.
Over the weekend, the current VP also interviewed two other potential contenders for the role - Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
Former US President Barack Obama took to X to post in support of Harris' choice of running mate, calling Walz an "ideal partner".
"Governor Walz doesn't just have the experience to be a vice president, he has the values and integrity to make us proud," he said.
His statement continued: "Tim's signature is his ability to talk like a human being and treat everyone with dignity and respect."
It follows weeks of speculation around who would join Harris on the ticket, after Joe Biden's shock announcement that he was dropping out of the race on July 21.
Calls for the US president to step aside from the Democrat election campaign grew following several high-profile gaffes, including a shaky debate performance and an incident where he introduced Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin".
Biden announced he was leaving the race on social media platform X, before swiftly endorsing current Harris.
She then became the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket.
Walz was an outspoken defender of Biden, even amid escalating calls for the president to stand aside ahead of the election.
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He made a fiery case for the current vice president at a "White Dudes for Harris" fundraising event, where he said: “How often in 100 days do you get to change the trajectory of the world?
"How often in 100 days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come?
“And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his a**, sent him on the road?”
Walz grew up in Nebraska, and was a social studies teacher, football coach and union member at a high school before starting his political career.
He had also served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.
Walz ran for state governor in 2018 on the theme of "One Minnesota", securing a victory by more than 11 points.
After winning re-election in 2022, he brought in social welfare programmes such as free lunch for public school students, expansive access to Medicaid, and increased protections that allow workers to unionise.
Harris' vice presidential pick relatively unknown to the majority of Americans. An AP-NORC poll showed that nine in ten US adults do not know enough about Walz to form an opinion.
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