The week after Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and a host of Democratic governors gave a press conference firmly stating their support for the president. During the Republican National Convention, Walz showed up in neighbouring Wisconsin for counter-programming.
Then, Biden announced he would not seek re-election, and passed the torch to Kamala Harris. All of a sudden, the former high-school football coach with a heavy midwestern accent – also a former congressman who represented a district that voted for Donald Trump – found himself in the race to be Harris’s running mate.
Walz faced stiff competition from contenders such as Arizona senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, and Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania. As time went on, rumours swirled, especially around Shapiro – but ultimately, Harris picked Walz yesterday morning.
“Someone like him or someone like Governor Beshear [as a veep pick] would be absolutely beneficial to competing for rural votes,” Matt Barron, a political consultant who worked with Walz in the past and specialises in electing Democrats in rural areas, told The Independent ahead of the announcement.
Walz has also earned plaudits for passing a series of progressive policies, such as free school meals for children regardless of income status, paid family leave, paid sick leave, and gun legislation.
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