New York (Agencies) United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, thrusting the outspoken former Congressman into the national spotlight while adding a key ally to her stepped up campaign for the presidency.
Walz, 60, brings suburban-and-rural appeal and progressive patriotism to a competition where all three criteria are seen as helpful for Democrats to clinch a 2024 win against the Republican former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance.
The selection, which Ms Harris personally delivered to Walz via a video call, according to US media reports – caps the Midwestern Democrat’s short but swift ascent from a relative unknown to a leading campaigner of the party’s attacks against Trump.
Walz emerged from an intensive vice presidential search from a shortlist that included half a dozen Democrats, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
The vice president held in-person interviews with Walz, Shapiro and Kelly on Sunday.
A military veteran, former public school teacher and six-term congressman, Walz is now serving the sixth year of his eight-year stint as governor of the State.
He has been an ardent supporter of President Joe Biden and was a surrogate for his reelection campaign.
After the president’s disastrous debate performance in June, Walz often took to the airwaves to defend Biden and boast about the administration’s accomplishments, even in the face of Democratic doubts.