DES MOINES, Iowa — After weeks of deliberating over at least a half dozen candidates like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kamala Harris' campaign selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
The decision to pick Walz as a running mate will be crucial in her testament to reach independent voters, including rural and middle-class voters, which Harris has struggled to reach during her short-led campaign for president.
"Watch the Republicans, they were concerned in fact that [Governor] Shapiro was going to be the choice, because to them, he made the most sense. Being a little bit more moderate, popular governor of a swing state," explained University of Iowa associate political science professor Tim Hagle.
Now in his second gubernatorial term in Minnesota, which has consistently voted for Democratic candidates at the highest levels for decades, Walz's name and track record will help Harris' campaign reach rural, suburban and middle-class voters, Hagle said, especially in the Midwest.
But in Midwest "red states," like Iowa and Nebraska, Harris' running mate selection might not make too much of a difference. Hagle said in Michigan though, a swing state, Walz's presence might be the difference for Democrats to keep the White House.
As governor, Walz codified state abortion rights, signed off on universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of family income. The state also enacted a paid family and medical leave program, legalized recreational marijuana and tightened gun control.
Since Harris announced Walz as her running mate, Republicans have been ready to attack the Minnesota governor's track record, Hagle mentioned.
This includes policies like Walz's stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his delays to activate the Army National Guard following civil unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd's murder.
Walz grew up in the Midwest, in Nebraska, moving to southern Minnesota in the '90s while spending 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring from a field artillery battalion in 2005. He spent time as a teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School.
In 2006, Walz turned to politics and pulled off an upset, winning a historically-Republican-dominated district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served Minnesota 1st District for six terms before the state elected Walz as its governor.
Walz will be in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Wednesday -- the same time as former President Donald Trump's VP pick: J.D. Vance. It has not been announced yet if or when Walz and Vance will debate as we approach the November election.