Minnesota Governor Tapped as Democratic VP Candidate

After weeks of speculation, Vice President Kamala Harris formally announced her pick to join her on the Democratic ticket early Tuesday. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was asked by Harris to run with her in the upcoming November presidential election, building momentum for the party heading into the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in less than two weeks. Here is the latest political news making headlines this week.

Vice President Kamala Harris Chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Running Mate

Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday morning, hours before the two appeared together for the first time at a rally in Philadelphia. The decision came after weeks of speculation as Harris narrowed down her choices. Harris met with at least three of the potential candidates at her residence in Washington, D.C. over the weekend with the final decision reportedly coming down to Walz and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

While he was passed over the role, Shapiro appeared at the lively rally in the Commonwealth to introduce Harris and Walz to his hometown crowd. Shapiro offered up praise for both Harris and Walz, citing the personal relationships that he has with both politicians and their families.

Walz took to the stage and was not shy about criticizing former President Donald Trump along with his running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The governor of the North Star State said that he could not wait to take on Vance in the vice presidential candidate debate.

It was also revealed later in the day that a three-person committee headed up the search and vetting process for the vice presidential running mate. The committed included former Boston mayor and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and former Louisiana congressman and Biden White House adviser Cedric Richmond.

Walz reportedly secured the nod after his interview with Harris in which he appeared to be the ultimate team player. Harris also felt as if Walz would be able to reach the voters that she might not appeal to as favorably. The Minnesota governor has built a reputation on being able to bond with rural voters that Democrats typically do not score well with in elections. Strategists for the Democratic Party are hopeful that Walz will shore up voters across the crucial Rust Belt.

Who is Tim Walz?

Although Walz is relatively unknown on the national political scene, he has made quite a reputation for himself in Minnesota as the state's governor. Walz grew up in rural Nebraska, working on his family's farm before joining the Army. Walz served two dozen years in the Army National Guard, making his way up to the title of command sergeant major. He used the money earned from his GI bill to put himself through college, eventually ending up as a high school social studies teacher.

While working in the field of education, Walz also served as a high school football coach. During his time as an educator, he volunteered to be the faculty advisor for the school's gay student alliance.

Walz jumped into politics when he ran as a swing-district legislator in the U.S. Congress. During his time in Congress, Walz was known for being a champion for the rights of veterans. He was elected to Minnesota's top office in 2018, serving as governor since that time.

During his time as governor, Walz led the effort to codify abortion, protect gender-affirming care for the state's transgender youth, legalize the recreational use of marijuana, fund free breakfast and lunches for all Minnesota school children, and earmark money to offer free tuition at state colleges for families making less than $80,000 per year.

Gov. Walz and his wife Gwen are parents to 23-year-old Hope and 17-year-old Gus. Walz shared a personal story at the rally in Philadelphia, detailing how he and his wife had to rely on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive their children. Walz has pledged to build protections around IVF, in contrast to Vance, a senator who voted against a piece of legislation that would protect the procedure.

Harris and Walz Hit the Campaign Trail Together

Just one day after joining the ticket, Walz will join Harris on a campaign trail blitz on Wednesday through two key battleground states. The pair will appear together at events in Wisconsin and Michigan as an effort to mobilize voters.

The midday campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin will feature a musical performance by Bon Iver with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, and more expected to speak. The Detroit rally will feature speeches from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Rep. Debbie Dingell, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow. United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain will also give a boost to the union presence with a speech at this event.

Trump Backs Out of Debate but Proposes a New One Hosted by Fox News

On the Trump side of the campaign, the former president announced over the weekend that he was backing out of the debate hosted by ABC News in September. Trump said that the previous agreement was void since he had agreed to debate President Joe Biden. Instead, Trump proposed that Harris debate him in a Fox News hosted event.

While the Harris campaign did not agree to the Fox News debate, they said that the vice president would still use the time on ABC if Trump does not appear. The debate topic has been a point of contention between the two campaigns since Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris in his place.

However, Trump appeared to have softened on the debate issue by Wednesday. Appearing in an interview with Fox News, Trump said that he felt it was important to schedule the debate even if Fox is not the host.

Vance Campaigns in Michigan and Wisconsin

Like the Harris and Walz campaign, Vance will also appear in Michigan and Wisconsin at events on Wednesday. Vance delivered remarks at a press event in Shelby Township, Michigan, located just outside of Detroit. He is then scheduled to fly to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to speak at another press event.

The appearances by Vance are an attempt to draw attention away from the media coverage of the appointment of Walz. In addition to visiting the same states on the same day as the Harris campaign on Wednesday, Vance also appeared at an event in Philadelphia just hours before Walz was officially introduced as the vice presidential candidate at a rally in the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday.

Trump has been relatively quiet this week with no major campaign events. Instead, the former president has been making the rounds on media outlets such as Fox News. He has also been active on his social media accounts, offering commentary about Harris' pick for her running mate.

Missouri Rep. Cori Bush Loses Primary Election

Four states held primary elections on Tuesday with the key headline being the loss of Missouri Rep. Cori Bush in her district's primary. The member of the so-called "squad" of progressive lawmakers in Congress, Bush lost the primary to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Ball.

The defeat of Bush was a symbolic win for the pro-Israel faction Washington, D.C., the same sentiment used in helping to remove New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a primary six weeks ago. Bush's race in Missouri's 1st Congressional District was the second-most expensive primary of this current cycle, falling only behind Bowman's race in terms of investment.

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