Washington/Prensa Latina
US Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris cleared up the mystery by announcing that her running mate will be Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, with whom she will appear today at a rally in Philadelphia.
Walz, 60, was first elected to Congress in 2006, served in the House for 12 years and rose to become the top Democrat on the powerful Veterans Affairs Committee before returning to his native Minnesota in 2019 to lead that state.
His liberal political record and defense of Joe Biden’s administration during this year’s election campaign made him a highly attractive figure to join Harris’s ticket if he seeks to prevent Republican Donald Trump from returning to the White House.
Walz’s selection provides the balance Harris needs not only to try to win in November but also to govern given her extensive connections on Capitol Hill.
In recent hours, there have been more and more voices within the House of Representatives advocating for Walz, who also has the distinction of being the highest-ranking enlisted soldier in the history of Congress, a status that has allowed him to be loved by Pentagon supporters in both parties, according to local media reports.
That unique resume, combined with his Midwestern roots, liberal political record and fierce defense of Joe Biden’s administration on the campaign trail this year, tipped the scales in his favor.
Walz currently chairs the Democratic Governors Association and while on Capitol Hill worked his way up there by challenging his colleagues on some high-profile issues and giving voice to congressional voters he said were being neglected even by his own party, the reports said.
The vice president focused interviews over the weekend on Walz, as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Harris had to weigh things up carefully because the expected decision could impact the unity that the party has shown around her candidacy after President Joe Biden left the re-election campaign.
Progressives in the blue party disagreed with Shapiro over his stances on Israel and his handling of pro-Palestinian protests in Pennsylvania and pushed for Walz to be the vice presidential candidate.
Following the rally in Philadelphia, Harris and Walz will travel through Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada and Georgia for the rest of the week, key states in the upcoming elections.
With 89 days to go until the election, the Democrats have just thrown their lot in: they will bet on the Harris-Walz duo as their key to victory over Republican Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, JD Vance.
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