Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi is seen as the most prominent Democrat pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Harris announced her pick for vice president on Tuesday, choosing the 60-year-old Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Pelosi – and other Democrats in the House of Representatives – pushed for Walz because he was one of their own, according to Politico.
Walz served in the House of Representatives for 12 years before returning full-time to Minnesota in 2018 to run for governor.
He entered Congress in 2006, in the same groundswell of anti-President George W. Bush sentiment among Democrats that first handed Pelosi the gavel.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was the most prominent Democrat to push Vice President Kamala Harris to select Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (left) as her running mate over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (right) and Sen. Mark Kelly (not pictured). Harris got a push from Pelosi and other House members to choose a veteran from their chamber
He voted alongside his Democratic counterparts for the Affordable Care Act and survived the 2010 midterm elections, which then-President Barack Obama called a “punishment.”
Walz represented a Minnesota district that was overwhelmingly Republican when he served on Capitol Hill. But since he was announced as Harris’ vice president, former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have sought to portray the governor as an extreme liberal.
“I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole Tim Walz,” former Rep. Filemón Vela, a Texas Democrat, told Politico.
Vela was good friends with Walz when they served in Congress together.
“I’ve always found Tim to be very independent… Nancy has so much respect for him because she knows that when he disagreed with her, he always responded respectfully.”
Colleagues recalled Walz’s self-deprecating jokes, Minnesota-themed gifts and told Politico that he missed the massive group chat of current and former House members, which Walz had to leave because his communications as governor are public.
Americans who voted online were impressed that Pelosi was able to exert so much influence over the Democratic slate.
Online Americans were impressed that Pelosi was able to wield so much influence over the Democratic ticket. One user said, “Nancy Pelosi has single-handedly controlled the 2024 Democratic ticket as a way to promote her new book, The Art of Power.”
Another X user posted a photo of Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury — known for her matchmaking skills — with the caption: “Nancy Pelosi right now.”
She is largely responsible for President Joe Biden dropping out of the race last month, clearing the way for a Bay Area Democrat, Harris, to take the lead.
And now Pelosi also had a big influence on the choice of Walz.
“Nancy Pelosi single-handedly managed the 2024 Democratic candidate slate to promote her new book, The Art of Power,” said one X user.
Another X user posted a photo of Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury — known for her matchmaking skills — with the caption: “Nancy Pelosi right now.”
Pelosi remained restrained when questioned by CBS’s Lesley Stahl about her role in Biden’s ouster.
“Well, I’ve never had public conversations with a president of the United States,” Pelosi said.
Stahl interrupted him: “They say he’s mad at you, right?”
“Well, he knows I love him very much,” Pelosi said.
She denied that she was a leader in the campaign to pressure the 81-year-old president to withdraw from the race after his disastrous debate performance in late June.
“Let me say things I didn’t do,” Pelosi said. “I didn’t call anybody. I didn’t call anybody. I could always tell him I never called anybody.”