Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate

US Vice-President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her Vice Presidential candidate, US media has reported.

Governor Walz, 60, will be officially announced before the pair appear together for the first time at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon, US time.

Walz, who has been Minnesota Governor since 2019, has previously served five terms in the US House of Representatives in a notoriously Republican stronghold.

As governor, Walz has pushed a progressive agenda that includes free school meals, goals for tackling climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and expanded paid leave for Minnesota workers.

Walz has long advocated for women’s reproductive rights but also displayed a conservative bent while representing a rural district in the US House, defending agricultural interests and backing gun rights.

After the rally, Harris and Walz will start a tour across several battleground states likely to decide the election, sources said.

Harris closed out her search by interviewing three top candidates — Walz, US senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — at her Naval Observatory residence in Washington on Sunday, the sources said.

The vice-president met Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for 90 minutes on Friday and was also meeting candidates virtually, the sources said.

Harris’s search for a running mate began in earnest just two weeks ago, shortly after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed her to replace him.

The choice of a running mate was one of the most consequential decisions of Harris’s political career as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge Donald Trump in the November 5 election.

Harris’s shortlist includes all white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.

At the weekend, Harris met her vetting team, including former attorney-general Eric Holder, whose law firm scrutinised the finances and background of potential running mates.

Holder and his office made in-depth presentations on each of the finalists, according to multiple sources familiar with the process.

Harris was weighing the decision with her husband, Doug Emhoff, brother-in-law Tony West and a small circle of aides and advisers, the sources said.

The Harris campaign also plans a social media announcement featuring the duo, campaign officials familiar with the arrangements told Reuters.

On her battleground states tour, Harris and her new running mate will hit seven cities in five days: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

They would hold rallies in each location along the tour, which will include college campuses, historically Black universities, union halls and restaurants, a campaign official said.

Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance will also make a campaign stop in South Philadelphia on Tuesday.

At the weekend, the Harris campaign launched a program to persuade Republican voters to support the Democrat and showcased endorsements from Republicans including former Trump White House officials Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye.

The program — called Republicans for Harris — will hold kick-off events in the battleground states of Arizona, North Carolina and Pennsylvania on Monday.

Republican surrogates will appear at events led by Harris and her yet-to-be-named running mate and combine on-the-ground organising efforts and paid media to reach Republican voters.

with Reuters