Kamala Harris picks Walz as vice-presidential nominee

Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has picked Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, to be her vice presidential running mate in the race for the White House.

With three months to go into the U.S. presidential election, this is Harris’ first major decision since becoming her centre-left party’s candidate to go up against former Republican president Donald Trump.

She said, “I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate,” Harris posted on social media.

“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team.”

Her still-new campaign has had to move fast since President Joe Biden ended his flailing bid for re-election two weeks ago and passed the baton to Harris.

Harris and Walz are now set to launch a tour of the key battleground states that would decide the outcome of the Nov. 5, election.

At their first appearance together, at a rally in Philadelphia, Harris said the pair was the underdogs in the race to the White House.

Harris said, ”But, we have momentum and I know exactly what we are up against.”

Harris said she and Walz hailed from different corners of the U.S…

She added, “But our values are the same. We both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down,” she said.

“We both know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.

“And we see in our fellow Americans neighbours, never enemies. My promise to you is this: our campaign will reach out to everyone.”

Walz took a swipe at Trump during his address to the rally.

He said, “Again, and again, and again, Trump weakens our economy to strengthen his own hand,” he said.

“He mocks our laws, he sows chaos and division and that’s to say nothing of his record as president.”

Walz, 60, has been the governor of Minnesota since 2019.

U.S. political analysts believed the former public school teacher and member of the U.S. Army National Guard could help Harris appeal to both working-class and progressive voters in the industrial Midwest where key battleground states are located.

He was thrown into the spotlight last month for remarks in which he called Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, “weird.’’

As use of the word went viral online, the Democratic Party began to adopt the label for Trump, too.

Walz beat out Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania and Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky.

Arizona Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly was also in the mix for the number two job.

“It is the honour of a lifetime to join Kamala Harris in this campaign. I’m all in,” Walz wrote in his own social media post, which also showcased his folksy demeanour.

Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school.