Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 election, chose her running mate today: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to several sources and media outlets.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was floated as a possible vice presidential candidate almost immediately after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, following a bad performance at a June debate with former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president this year.
But Harris chose to go in a different direction.
Few were talking about Walz as a VP contender until two weeks ago. That’s when he came up with “weird,” the one-word attack on Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance that went instantly viral.
Among the others said to be on Harris’ shortlist were Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
Biden endorsed Harris, his VP, and Democratics rallied around her immediately. Shapiro also endorsed Harris right away, and his name came up in the days that followed as a possible vice presidential candidate.
Walz is a Midwesterner. He’s from a town of 400 people and was a teacher and a high school football coach before getting into politics, a resume that could stand out in a field of lawyers and politicians.
Some GOP operatives note that Walz could face new questions about his handling of the riots that erupted after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At the time, he called the response to the riots an “abject failure,” a toxic quote that could blow up in his face.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, file)AP
A poll in late July from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that several of the top potential contenders for the role were largely unknown to voters. Kelly, married to former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, a shooting survivor, had more name recognition and higher favorability. Others, including Shapiro, were less known nationally but were believed to be able to pull more Democratic voters from their state or region.
Shapiro and Beshear on Thursday had canceled weekend plans, leading to speculation that one would be chosen by Harris. She had said on July 27 that she was going to start a campaign tour of battleground states on Aug. 6 with her running mate, without saying at the time who that was.
The tour starts in Philadelphia this evening. Shapiro will be there.
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Publish date : 2024-08-06 01:59:00
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