Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate in the US presidential election, who will succeed him as vice president if he wins. The latest CBS poll showed Harris leading Trump by just one point nationwide. Another poll released Sunday showed Trump and Harris tied in states where the former president held a five-point lead while Joe Biden refused to drop out of the race.
Father Walz
After Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy from the election and publicly supported Kamala Harris, some categories of voters began to trust the Democrats again, such as young people under 30 and Latino communities. But Harris’ weak spot immediately became apparent: older voters who more actively supported Biden.
As governor of Minnesota, Walz, 60, should appeal to many voters as a seasoned political leader who served 12 years in Congress before becoming governor in 2018. His down-to-earth style and small-town Midwestern image can attract independent and conservative voters.
Walz was born and raised in a small town in Nebraska. Even though he attended an elite Ivy League university, whites in the country’s countryside still saw him as one of them. He has experience as a teacher and assistant football coach, and served 24 years in the US National Guard. Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp said of Walz: “He’s a man with a life experience similar to that of many rural Americans.”
Progressive left
Walz led Minnesota in the 2020 unrest that erupted after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He sent in the National Guard to quell the unrest.
Walz is known for his support for LGBT+ rights. She, like Harris, advocates for women to have unlimited abortion rights. His achievements in the state include providing free meals to school students.
Friend of Ukraine
In February 2024, Minnesota, under the leadership of Walz, established a special relationship with the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.
“Minnesota will continue to support Ukraine as it defends freedom and democracy,” Walz wrote online on this occasion “I visited the Ukrainian Embassy to establish official relations between the public, private and scientific sectors of Minnesota and the Chernihiv region, strengthening our state relations with Ukraine.” .
In April 2023, Walz virtually met with President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of a dialogue organized by the National Governors Association. At the beginning of the general invasion, he signed a law banning business with Russia and Belarus for the state of Minnesota.
“Minnesota is the proud home of many Ukrainian families, and we will continue to welcome and support Ukrainian refugees in our state,” he said after meeting with Zelensky.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.