Tim Walz introduced to America after 40 dizzying days
Forty days is a lifetime in American politics.
On June 27, President Biden was on stage in Atlanta debating Donald Trump.
Last night, Kamala Harris was on the stage at an exuberant rally in Philadelphia announcing she was the official Democratic Party presidential nominee.
No less improbably, she was introducing a barely-known Minnesotan Governor as her running mate.
Tim Walz is a smart pick. He is a folksy Midwesterner who grew up on the plains of Nebraska. He was a teacher, a high school football coach, and National Guardsman; he is an avid hunter and fisherman.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
That biography doesn't given much for Republican to attack.
But Walz does have political vulnerabilities that Donald Trump will mercilessly exploit for the next 90 days.
Republicans are already claiming that the Harris-Walz team are dangerously liberal. And they will point out that Walz was Governor of Minnesota during the riots in 2020 that followed the police killing of George Floyd.
Trump will suggest that Walz was is a pro-open borders politician who was too weak to regain control of the streets from anti-police mobs. Expect a tsunami of attack ads in the battleground states.
We will see if those targets hit their mark with centrist and independent voters.
But one thing is undeniable. There is an energy and enthusiasm coursing through the Democratic party that Joe Biden could never ignite.
Where there was despair, there is now hope.
Where there was a fatalistic acceptance that Trump would regain the presidency, there is now a clear belief that Harris and Walz can win.
What a transformation. No wonder the partisan crowd in Philadelphia were almost delirious as Harris and Walz walked on stage.
Want an expert briefing on US politics and the presidential race? Listen to our latest podcast Talking Politics USA...