It was reported on Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris shortened her shortlist of potential running mates to include Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. This comes as Harris is attempting to gain ground on former President Donald Trump with just over three months remaining until the election which will take place in November.
Key Facts That Are Crucial :
- Walz, a sixty-year-old father of two and the governor of Minnesota, had emerged as a frontrunner for the vice presidential nomination. Other candidates on the list included Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. However, sources close to Harris told Reuters on Monday that her shortlist has narrowed down to Walz and Shapiro, and it is anticipated that Harris will choose a running mate on Tuesday.
- Walz has established himself as a moderate Democrat in Congress, where he served as a representative for Minnesota from 2007 until 2019, and as the governor of Minnesota, a position he has held since 2019, where he also serves as chair of the national Democratic Governors Association. Despite the fact that he is not at the forefront of national politics, Walz has established himself as a moderate Democrat.
- As a working-class politician with a rural background, Walz is seen as an appealing option for moderate Democrats and independents. He exudes the appearance of “someone with a lived experience that is so comparable to so many of the people in rural America,” former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat from North Dakota, said in an interview with The New York Times last week.
- Before running for office, Walz, who graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska, served in the Army National Guard. After that, he worked as a teacher, first on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he met his wife Gwen, who was also a teacher. He then worked as a teacher in China, and then he worked as a high school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, which is located south of Minneapolis.
- Walz first entered politics as a member of the presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in 2004. He accepted this position after he stated that some of his high school students were questioned for having a Kerry sticker when he took them to a campaign rally for then-President George W. Bush, according to MinnPost. Walz’s initial entry into politics was as a member of Kerry’s campaign.
Among Walz’s political achievements as governor are guarantees of tuition-free meals at affiliated state colleges, codification of abortion
