National and Minnesota leaders react after Gov. Tim Walz picked as Kamala Harris' VP running mate
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election — and it's prompting a wide array of reactions from leaders around the state and throughout the country.
Harris announced Tuesday morning that the Midwestern progressive will join her on the ticket heading into the November election. Harris and Walz will campaign in all seven battleground states in the coming days, beginning with an appearance in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Walz's first event as Harris' running mate.
"As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his," Harris said. "It's great to have him on the team. Now let's get to work."
Walz called it an "honor of a lifetime" to join Harris in the ticket and said he's "all in."
National response
President Biden, who last month decided to step down from his reelection bid, said Harris made a "great decision" in choosing Walz as her running mate.
"I've known Tim Walz for nearly two decades, first during his time in Congress and as Governor. A husband and father, he's been a school teacher and a high school football coach. He served for 24 years in the Army National Guard and became the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress. As Governor, he's been a strong, principled, and effective leader," Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden says the ticket is a "powerful voice for working people and America's great middle class" and that it's time for Democrats and all Americans to rally behind the ticket.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who were among those being vetted as potential running mates, also issued statements.
Kelly said Harris and Walz "are going to move us forward" and are "already building a campaign to unite our country," while Shapiro said his work in his state is "far from finished" and that he's looking forward to uniting residents of his state behind Harris and Walz.
Former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign called Walz a "radical leftist" in its statement.
"It's no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate - Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State," Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is 'mostly cows and rocks'. From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California's dangerously liberal agenda far and wide. If Walz won't tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American's nightmare."
Trump's vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance, said Harris' selection of Walz "highlights just how radical Kamala Harris is."
"This is a person who listened to the Hamas wing of her own party in selecting a nominee," Vance told reporters Tuesday. "This is a guy who's proposed shipping more manufacturing jobs to China, who wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy instead of good, American energy, and has proposed defunding the police just as Kamala Harris does."
Vance also said he tried calling Walz and left a voicemail congratulating him.
Minnesota leaders react
Leaders in Minnesota were quick to react to the news, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who called it a "great pick" for Harris.
"I can't wait for the rest of the country to get to know @Tim_Walz," Frey said on X. "Cheers to the ticket that's going to energize people across the nation."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the pick an "extremely wise choice," that shows Harris is "smart, bold and ready to win." He also called Walz "accessible, friendly" and an "ally of Americans working hard for a living."
U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota, said it's "not surprising" Harris picked Walz.
"He embodies the same disastrous economic, open-borders, and soft-on-crime policies Harris has inflicted on our country the last four years," Emmer said on X. "Walz is an empty suit who has worked to turn Minnesota into Harris' home state of California, and solidifies this ticket's full embrace of a radical, America-last agenda."
Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Fork, said the Harris-Walz ticket will be the "most extreme and far-left in history."
"Walz ran on a 'One Minnesota' theme, but governed with a 'One Extreme Minnesota' platform," Johnson said in a statement. "The Harris/Walz tandem will make the cost of living even more expensive for Americans, encourage unchecked illegal immigration, and further divide our country - as he did with our state. Tim Walz failed to unite Minnesotans by pushing an extreme agenda and lost nearly $500 million taxpayer dollars to waste fraud and abuse. He will do the same as part of this far-left presidential ticket.
Dean Phillips, who represented Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District until he briefly ran for president, said on X that Walz is a "common-sense, competent, and experienced leader whose refreshing normal-ness will be a great contrast to the tiresome weirdness."
Walz has also received support from Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith, as well as Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
"Minnesota is known as the land of Vice Presidents, and we've got another great one on the way! As a veteran, a high school teacher and a football coach, and our Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz has been an incredible leader (and on top of that, a good friend). Let's go win this!" Klobuchar said on X.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who would make history as the state's first female governor and first Native American woman to serve as governor in the country's history if Harris and Walz win the election, said Walz has he "grit and the grace to keep our country moving forward alongside Kamala Harris."
Walz had been in the mix of top contenders for the pick since late last month, along with along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Walz was among several Democratic governors who visited the White House amid calls for Mr. Biden to drop his reelection bid following the first presidential debate. Soon after Mr. Biden announced he was leaving the race, Walz quickly fell in line with the majority of Democrats to endorse Harris.
Just days before Mr. Biden's announcement, Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum joined the chorus of Democrats calling on him to step down. She then went further to throw Walz's name in as a possible vice presidential candidate.
After the Walz announcement on Tuesday morning, McCollum said Harris had made an "excellent, insightful choice."
"Tim Walz is my friend and a former colleague whose Midwest values are rooted in selfless service to our nation, caring for his neighbors, and inspiring students, soldiers, and citizens to stand together, dream bigger, and never give up. Tim is a rock-solid Democrat, a teacher, a football coach, a veteran and a leader who will defend our freedoms and will work to improve the lives of All Americans in every corner of our country," McCollum added.
WCCO's Esme Murphy asked Walz about his VP prospects before the announcement, but his response was both calculated and cagey.
"I don't think you turn down a job that you haven't been offered, but I have the best job in the world in being the governor of Minnesota," Walz said.
When pressed again about his possible candidacy during a separate event, Walz made it clear that he wasn't going to speak on the matter and reiterated his full support for Harris. He did, however, quip to reporters about the surrealness of hearing his name being tossed about.
"I've seen it out there and it's a little weird (laughs)!" Walz said.
Now in his second term as governor, Walz, 60, also served 12 years as a U.S. congressman before his successful 2018 run to lead the state.
The Democratic Party began the formal vote to nominate Harris for president on Thursday, kicking off a virtual roll call that later cemented her status as the party's standard-bearer heading into November.
