THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET—KAMALA HARRIS, TIM WALZ. HARRIS ANNOUNCED ON AUG. 6 THAT GOV. WALZ WOULD BE HER RUNNING MATE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mother was an educator, his father was a medical officer, then a pediatrician. He grew up in Montgomery County, Pa., outside Philadelphia, where only 6 percent of the residents lived at or below the poverty level, and Shapiro’s family was not a part of that 6 percent. Following college, Shapiro attended and finished law school at Georgetown University.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, meanwhile, was raised in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska. His first job was on a farm. His father died when he was 19. Senator of Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, said on CNN on Aug. 6 that he essentially “came from nothing.” As for law school? Don’t even think about it.
Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard when he was 17 following high school, earned his bachelor’s degree on the G.I. Bill from Chadron State College (Nebraska) in 1989, moved to Minnesota, worked as a high school teacher and footÂball coach, and ultimately became governor in 2019.
Governor Tim Walz— that’s the man who KamaÂla Harris decided would be her running mate.
Harris, the current U.S. Vice President who is lookÂing to become the country’s first woman—and Black woman—president, after much internal thought and reflection, chose Gov. Walz for a number of reaÂsons, but his humble upÂbringing played a big part in her decision.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Governor Tim Walz to be my running mate,” Harris said on her social media accounts in announcing her decision, Aug. 6. “One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s perÂsonal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”
Here in Pennsylvania, most people thought HarÂris was going to pick the state’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro. After all, he had age on his side (51), the leadership skills, the deÂbate skills, the governing skills, and he could camÂpaign like the dickens to keep Pennsylvania “blue” in the November election, a state Harris needs to win. But in the end, Gov. Walz of Minnesota seems to have the pulse on rural voters, many of whom vote Republican. But when Gov. Walz comes to town, with his rural background, peoÂple seem to move to the blue side. In 2006, he upÂset a long-term Republican incumbent, Gil Gutknecht, to win a congressional seat in a largely rural, southÂern Minnesota district. People seem to like his down-to-earth personaliÂty and demeanor, and one can’t say he doesn’t underÂstand what it’s like to live in a rural area; West Point, Nebraska, where he was born, has 3,500 people, and Butte, Nebraska, where he grew up, has less than 300 people there now.
Harris believes that Gov. Walz’s more moderate reÂcord can help her win those important swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. HardÂcore Democrats are in the bag for Harris—it’s those conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans that Harris and Gov. Walz need to swing their way. National polls as of Aug. 6 have Harris and RepubliÂcan presidential nominee Donald Trump virtually neck and neck in all three states.
“Four years ago, we stood in Minneapolis to demand justice for George Floyd and accountability for not only the officer who murdered him, but his colleagues who stood idly by. We were honest about Governor Walz’s response, and he heard the calls we made for actual justice,” Rev. Al Sharpton of the NaÂtional Action Network said in a release, Aug. 6, followÂing Harris’ announcement. “Governor Walz tapped AtÂtorney General Ellison to lead the investigation as a direct result of our advoÂcacy in the streets and in the halls over government. I learned then that he was a man who will listen and do what is right by those he represents. A year later, justice like we had rarely ever seen was delivered for George Floyd, his family, and this nation.”
Reverend Sharpton added: “We can count on Governor Walz to take that same kind of open apÂproach as Kamala Harris’ vice president. He will be a trusted partner for her as she leads the nation through one of its greatest challenges in history. GovÂernor Walz has already shown he isn’t afraid to take on those who want to move our country backÂward. You can already see he is ready and willing to support Kamala Harris as she seeks to become the first Black female PresiÂdent, knocking down one of the greatest barriers in the process.”
“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiasÂtic support—and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” voiced Gov. Shapiro, in a stateÂment, Aug. 6. “Lori and I consider Tim and Gwen to be good friends of ours and we are excited for them and for the country to get to know the great people we know them to be. Over the next 92 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind Kamala Harris’ campaign to defeat Donald Trump, become the 47th President of the United States, and build a better future for our country.”
Congresswoman SumÂmer Lee, who represents Western Pennsylvania, said on Aug. 6 that even though she doesn’t know Gov. Walz, “I think the whole country is looking forward to getting to know him soon.” She also said that “we are now able to move forward as a counÂtry, we’re gonna go into the DNC (Democratic NationÂal Convention, Aug. 19-22) with, I think, so much more energy than we ever could have imagined, and I think that is not just a plus for the Democratic Party, I think that’s a plus for the country.”
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