Kamala Harris introduces running mate Tim Walz at raucous rally

Philadelphia: Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the White House, setting the scene for a historic election that has been upended by Joe Biden’s decision to pull out of the race.

With 91 days until election day, Harris introduced the 60-year-old former teacher and football coach to voters at a rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania, describing him as a “fighter for the middle class” and a “leader who will help unite our nation”.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia.Credit: AP

Walz, in turn, praised the vice president for “bringing joy” to the election campaign while taking jabs at their Republican rivals, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

“Make no mistake: violent crime was up under Donald Trump – and that’s not even counting the crimes he committed!” Walz told the raucous crowd as they started chanting: “Lock him up! Lock him up!”

“These guys are creepy and yes: just weird as hell ... So say it with me: we aren’t going back! We aren’t going back!”

Walz is a veteran of the Army National Guard and a former high school teacher who coached his football team to its first state championship.

He served 12 years in Congress representing a conservative, mostly rural southern Minnesota district – credentials that could be a drawcard for independents and moderate Democrats and could help offset Harris’ background as a Californian city-slicker.

But despite being known for his “Midwest grit”, Walz has a record of progressive policy achievements that could appeal to left-leaning voters. These include providing universal free school meals for students, enshrining abortion rights into state law, and protecting gender-affirming health care.

In May, he signed a bill into law expanding voting rights in Minnesota for tens of thousands of formerly incarcerated residents.

Harris’ decision to pick Walz came as a surprise to some Democrats and Republicans, who widely expected Pennsylvania’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro, to be chosen as her running mate, particularly given the need to win his state.

Josh Shapiro arrives at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris last month.Credit: AP

However, some progressives had pushed back against the Jewish-American Shapiro because of his stance on the war in Gaza, in which he – like most Democrats – backs Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Earlier this year, Shapiro also condemned universities over the pro-Palestinian protests that spread across the country.

Joseph Geevarghese, who heads the progressive grassroots organising group Our Revolution, welcomed Harris’ decision, citing Walz’s “strong pro-labour record and dedication to working-class issues”.

“The selection of Tim Walz as the vice presidential nominee is a clear indication that the Harris campaign is listening to the voices of progressives across the country,” he said.

However, at Philadelphia’s Temple University, where Harris and Walz’s first swing state rally took place, some voters, like Lary Vladimir, expressed disappointment Shapiro was not chosen. His wife, Gail, who was sporting a “Harris for President 2024” T-shirt, took a different view, saying: “We are going to elect our first woman president. It doesn’t matter who her VP pick is. Everybody here hates Trump. He’s a horrible, horrible human, and hopefully, he’s just gonna quietly go away, and everything’s gonna be wonderful.”

Kamala Harris supporters Lary and Gail Vladimir.Credit: Farrah Tomazin

The energy at the rally was palpable, with attendees lining up for hours to get inside. T-shirts with Harris’ smiling face and the words “Make America Laugh Again” were being sold for $25. A marching band played in the streets as people danced.

Enthusiastic voters spoke about their newfound excitement now that Joe Biden had stood aside to make way for his vice president.

“I honest to God was losing faith in this election, and I feel that Kamala has restored my hope and my faith that we will have a strong candidate that will actually push us forward,” said Dionna McCoy from New Jersey.

New Jersey voter Dionna McCoy supports Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.Credit: Farrah Tomazin

“It’s very exciting – and I think that’s reflected in the female presence here,” said Eileen Fields from northern Pennsylvania, which she described as “Trump country”.

“[Harris] is fresh, energetic, smart, and she’s dealt with patriarchal BS all of her life.”

Trump, meanwhile, immediately put out a fundraising email claiming Walz was “even worse than Dangerously Liberal and Crooked Kamala Harris”.

As the chair of the Democratic Governor’s Association, Walz is well liked in Democrat circles and is known for his affable, no-nonsense style. This has played well on the airwaves in recent days as he ramped up his attacks on J.D. Vance and the MAGA movement, describing Trump’s VP choice as “weird and creepy” – language the Harris campaign has since embraced.

Harris’ selection now paves the way for a formidable match-up between the four Republicans and Democrats now vying to lead the country.

Until Biden dropped out of the race, Trump and his Republicans were feeling highly confident about their chances in November and emboldened by the former president’s near-death experience at the hands of a would-be assassin in Pennsylvania last month.

However, polls now put Harris and Trump neck and neck, and Trump appears to be struggling with the new dynamic. The former president ignited a firestorm last week by attacking Harris’ racial identity.

Since then, he has pulled out of a US ABC debate originally scheduled for September 10 between him and Biden, challenging Harris instead to a debate with conservative outlet Fox News on September 4.

“We’ve got 91 days,” Walz said as the crowd cheered. “My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead.”

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