On Aug 6, 2024, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced her running mate to be former high school coach, teacher and current Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
Harris considered multiple people for her running mate, and according to NBC News, her top picks, along with Walz, were Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Walz may not have had the name recognition that some of Harris’s choices possess, but became accepted by the Democratic party after he was announced.
“Once they read about him, they were impressed,” Harris’s Campaign National Finance chair Chris Korge said in a Zoom call with the campaign’s National Finance Committee. “I got a ton of calls today, and not one of them was negative. They loved how relatable he was.”
One of the things that put Walz above other candidates for Harris was his impressive history. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, taught English in China and taught high school social studies and geography in Minnesota. He also has progressive views that some Democrats tend to favor. Walz fought the “don’t ask, don’t tell” bill that rejected openly lesbian and gay people from joining the military, signed a “trans refuge” bill and advocated for same-sex marriage in the state of Minnesota. Additionally, he has been a constant supporter of his high school students too.
“When my LGBT students approached me in the mid-1990s asking me to help them start the first Gay-Straight Alliance at Mankato West High School, my answer was, ‘Absolutely,’” Walz wrote in a 2018 X post.
Another one of the factors that gave him an edge over the other candidates was the relatable, quirky personality he showed to the public.
“We do not like what has happened where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end up in some weird fight that is unnecessary,” Walz said in an interview with NBC. “Well, it’s true, these people are just weird.”
“These people” referred to the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, and his running mate, JD Vance. Walz calling them “weird” instead of making it too political became something some Democrats focused on, making them fall even more in love with him.
The pair will appear Aug. 19-22 at the Democratic National Convention and will continue to allow the public to develop their views on them.
