Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, wagering that a former red-district congressman with a progressive streak can help her win over working-class voters in battleground states needed to beat Donald Trump in November.
“The entire country is about to see why their friends from Minnesota can’t stop bragging about Governor Walz,” Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “By picking a servant leader born and raised in a small town who has dedicated his career to protecting freedoms and lifting up working families, Vice President Harris has chosen the perfect foil for [Trump running mate] JD Vance and his politics of resentment.”
As a Minnesotan, I’m disappointed to be losing our governor. He’s done great things for our state, but I’m hopeful that the Lt. Governor who will be taking his place will be a good replacement.
Walz’s ascension to the ticket leaves questions for Minnesota. Under the state Constitution, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become governor if Walz resigns, but he’s not on the ballot in Minnesota this fall, meaning he could wait until after the November election to step down. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation, would become Minnesota’s first woman and first Native American governor.
Peggy Flanagan seems great and seems like she will be great for the state, but unfortunately she isn’t nearly as electable in MN as Walz was. Walz was a down to earth highschool teacher, where Flanagan is a city born life long activist. I don’t think she’ll be able to swing the rural votes when reelection comes up. She comes across as very cosmopolitan which isn’t a bad thing but it won’t win her any rural votes in a state which is mostly rural.
