The six word answer that got Tim Walz the job as VP Kamala Harris’ running mate
The final test for Kamala Harris in selecting her running mate was interviews with her three leading candidates on Sunday to hear how they would approach the vice presidential position.
Governor Tim Walz appeared to have passed the test with flying colors, as he secured his spot on the vice presidential ticket by vowing that he has no higher ambitions and is ready to take on a supporting role.
The 60-year-old progressive Minnesota politician is only a year older than Harris, but has already served six terms in the House of Representatives and is nearly halfway through his second term as governor.
The answer that most likely earned Walz the job over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly was, “I’m not looking for anything else.”
“I’m at the end of my career,” said Walz, a person involved in the selection process told Politico“This isn’t about me. This is about the working families of America.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s final interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday helped cement her decision to choose him as her running mate
Walz and Harris appeared side by side as running mates for the first time Tuesday night at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The top three choices for the vice presidential job – Walz, Shapiro and Kelly – all headed to the vice president’s residence at One Observatory Circle in Washington, D.C. this past weekend for their final interviews for the job.
The lifelong Midwesterner, former teacher and football coach, was chosen over a handful of other white, middle-aged men who were in contention to serve as Harris’ No. 2. In addition to Shapiro and Kelly, other contenders included Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Gov. Andy Beshear.
Walz served in the Army National Guard for nearly two and a half decades before joining Congress and moving into the Minnesota Governor’s Mansion in January 2019.
The father of two said during his interview with Harris on Sunday: “If I have to run into a wall, if I have to do difficult things, I’m willing to do that because that’s all I’d want to do.”
According to those who helped with the selection process, Harris’s no-nonsense approach to the vice presidency was music to his ears.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (left) and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly (right) were also interviewed by Harris on Sunday at One Observatory Place in Washington, DC, but were not selected
Harris has played a modest role in Biden’s presidency thus far, letting him drive. He wanted someone with a similar approach.
Moreover, Walz was “probably the person who didn’t have an organized group working against him,” an aide to another vice presidential candidate revealed.
“Progressives see him as a trustworthy guy. He has a bipartisan credibility that tempers respect,” an aide told Politico.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, is a staunch pro-Israel figure who would anger the pro-Gaza wing of the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Kelly has drawn criticism from labor leaders.
Walz also gained national recognition when he was the first to call the Republican ticket “weird,” sparking an entire news cycle in which Democrats used the word to describe Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).