Walz, a former teacher who also served in the National Guard, is currently in his second term as Minnesota governor. Before helming the North Star State, Walz served in Congress between 2007 and 2019, representing a southern Minnesota House district.
Walz was elected in 2023 to serve as chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in,” Walz wrote on X. “Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us.”
Republicans are starting to calibrate their attacks against Walz. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Walz in a statement a “West Coast wannabe.”
“Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” she said.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Republicans’ campaign arm, called Walz a “liberal lapdog” in a statement.
Meanwhile, Democrats, including those who were in contention for Harris’s running mate, lauded Walz as the VP pick and cheered the two on.
“Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward. They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and @GabbyGiffords and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win,” wrote Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on X.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support – and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) wrote in a statement shared on X.
Notably, the National Uncommitted Movement offered some praise for Walz in their statement, raising questions over whether his addition to the ticket may assuage concerns from progressives, young voters and Arab and Muslim Americans over the Israel-Hamas war.
“Governor Walz has demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve as a public leader, uniting Democrats diverse coalition to achieve significant milestones for Minnesota families of all backgrounds,” said Elianne Farhat, senior advisor to Uncommitted and executive director of Take Action Minnesota, in a statement.
“While his past positions as a Congressman may have conflicted with anti-war voters, we hope he can evolve on this issue as he has on others, such as shifting from an A to F rating from the NRA.”
