Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race after a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump on June 27, 2024, announced on August 6, 2024, that she had chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for November 5, 2024.
This decision comes after Harris secured the votes of Democratic delegates to become the party’s nominee, ahead of the Democratic National Convention scheduled for August 9-12, 2024, in Chicago, where Harris and Walz will be officially nominated to represent the party in the presidential election. With this selection, Walz becomes the first white man to join a major party ticket led by a woman of color.
Multiple Reasons
Several factors motivated Kamala Harris to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the November 5, 2024, election:
Pressure from the Progressive Base within the Democratic Party Not to Choose Shapiro:
The progressive base within the Democratic Party pressured Harris not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate, despite the electoral advantages his selection could have brought. Shapiro’s extremely conservative stances on key issues in the U.S. presidential election raised concerns among Democrats about his alignment with the party’s progressive values. Additionally, Shapiro’s controversial positions on Palestinians and the Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, made his selection a potential risk, as it could alienate Arab and Muslim American voters, as well as the progressive faction opposing President Biden’s stance on ongoing Israeli military operations in Palestinian territories.
Support from Senior Democratic Leaders for Choosing Walz:
While the progressive wing pressured Harris not to choose Shapiro, there was strong support from senior Democratic leaders and progressives for selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz enjoys backing from progressive groups and donors due to his policies that align more closely with the party’s progressive values. Reports suggest that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi favored Walz, as she has historically supported her former House colleagues for high political office. Walz, who served six terms in the House, also received support from Senator Bernie Sanders and several other Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the position of Harris’s running mate.
Targeting the Progressive Vote in the Presidential Election:
Harris’s selection of Walz reflects her attempt to attract the progressive vote in the upcoming presidential election, as support for President Biden’s re-election bid has waned due to his stance on the Israeli war in Gaza, his advanced age, and related health and cognitive decline. Walz’s support for many progressive policies, such as workers’ rights, social justice, minority rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, paid leave, abortion rights, and gun control, makes him a suitable candidate to energize progressive voters to support the Democratic ticket on November 5.
Enhancing Harris’s Electoral Prospects in Key States:
Swing states play a crucial role in determining the winner of the U.S. presidential election, and Walz could be beneficial to the Democratic ticket in key states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where he is widely known. Walz’s support for collective action and organized labor may attract working-class voters in Northern industrial states. As Governor of Minnesota, Walz signed a series of laws, considered among the most pro-worker in the United States in decades. These include paid family leave that offers workers partial pay for up to 12 weeks to care for a newborn or sick family member, and another 12 weeks for recovery from a serious illness. Walz also signed a law banning non-compete clauses in employment contracts, which encouraged union leaders and advocates for pro-worker, family, and child care policies to support his selection as Harris’s running mate.
Walz, a popular two-term governor from the Midwest, could boost Harris’s appeal among rural voters, particularly in critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which were essential to Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Walz, a native of Nebraska, is expected to use his rural roots to try to win back working-class white voters who have drifted away from the Democratic Party in recent years.
Walz’s Executive Experience Enhances His Ability to Handle Challenges:
Walz’s executive experience as Governor of Minnesota since 2019 demonstrates his ability to effectively address issues of national concern and make tough decisions. His tenure as governor has been marked by significant achievements in healthcare, education, and economic development, adding a strong political record to the Democratic ticket for the upcoming presidential election.
Alignment of Views between Harris and Walz:
There is an alignment of views between the candidates on the Democratic ticket, particularly in Walz’s strong support for many progressive policies, such as workers’ rights and social policies endorsed by Vice President Harris. This alignment is expected to create harmony between the candidates and consensus on administration policies should they win the election on November 5, 2024.
Estimates suggest that the economic policies Walz advocated as governor, including state-level child tax credits and a paid leave program, are the same policies the Harris administration would attempt to implement at the national level if they win the election.
Potential Implications
While there are many positive implications of Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the November 5 election, there are also several potential consequences, including:
Attempt to Raise Walz’s National Profile: Walz was not well-known nationally before his name appeared on the shortlist—alongside Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly—of Democratic candidates considered as Harris’s running mate in the upcoming presidential election. However, he gained some national attention in recent weeks after TV interviews in which he criticized Republican candidate Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, calling them “strange” in their media appearances, a term that gained traction on social media.
Republican Criticism of Walz’s Record as Minnesota Governor: Republicans criticize Walz for being slow to call in the National Guard to deal with the riots that erupted after George Floyd’s death in 2020. The riots caused significant damage, including the arson of a police precinct. Walz deployed hundreds of National Guard troops three days after Floyd’s death as looting and arson spread. Republicans also criticize Minnesota laws requiring the state to transition to carbon-free electricity sources by 2040, expanding voting rights for felons, and efforts to expand eligibility for undocumented immigrants to receive health insurance and in-state tuition.
Increased Republican Counter-Propaganda against Harris and Her Running Mate: By choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, the Republican Party has intensified its attack, branding him as a far-left politician joining the most liberal presidential ticket in history. With Biden’s withdrawal from the race and Harris’s candidacy, Republicans quickly labeled Harris a “radical leftist.” Some Republicans claimed that their criticism of Harris has become easier with her selection of Walz, who supported laws restricting access to firearms, promoting green energy, and providing taxpayer-funded benefits to undocumented immigrants.
In Conclusion: Kamala Harris’s campaign, following President Biden’s withdrawal from the race, which caused division within the Democratic Party, has focused on restoring party unity to bolster her chances of securing the party’s nomination before the National Convention on August 9, 2024, and solidifying her popularity among the Democratic electorate, which had been hesitant to participate in the election if Biden remained the nominee. Harris’s choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate brings several electoral advantages, broadens her electoral base, addresses criticisms of her campaign, and balances the Democratic ticket for the presidential election, thereby enhancing her prospects for success on November 5. Harris’s selection of Walz has strengthened balance within the Democratic Party, garnered widespread support among Democratic voters, and in several swing states, making him a valuable addition to the Democratic ticket in the upcoming presidential election.
