Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (right)
- Tim Walz was Governor during the 2020 riots following the death of George Floyd. Walz’s state was also home to the largest COVID pandemic-era fraud scheme.
Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, officially secured the Democratic Party’s nomination for President on Monday following a five-day virtual roll call of delegates. When the dust settled, Harris had earned the backing of 99% of the 4,567 Democratic delegates from across the U.S.
The party chose to hold the roll call virtually ahead of the scheduled Democratic National Convention, set to begin August 19th, in an attempt to avoid legal challenges related to states’ ballot deadlines.
On Tuesday morning, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, 60, was announced as Harris’ running mate. Walz beat out Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and others to be Harris’ VP pick.
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democratic federal official and a key player in his party’s political machine, posted, “Let’s do this! HarrisWalz2024,” on X as the news broke.
Walz, a pro-union Democrat, is in his second term as Governor after serving six terms in Congress. He is a military veteran and former public school teacher and football coach. Walz is on record as supporting efforts to raise the minimum wage and backing increased abortion access, among other Democrat policy initiatives.
Walz was Governor during the riots that ensued following the death of George Floyd in 2020. Those riots resulted in large portions of Minneapolis being burned as looters destroyed property and even burned down a police precinct.
Vice President Harris is on record as supporting the Minnesota Freedom Fund that paid the bail for arrested rioters.
The Minnesota Governor has also been criticized for the lack of fraud controls in his administration, as Walz’s state was home of the largest COVID pandemic-era fraud scheme in the nation unfold totaling upwards of $250 million.
Vice President Harris’ rise to be the Democratic nominee has been weeks in the making. President Joe Biden endorsed his running mate to be the party’s nominee after announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election.
READ MORE: Biden out, endorses Kamala Harris for president
As previously reported, pressure had mounted in the weeks following the first debate with Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. The calls for Biden to step aside rose to a fever pitch after the assassination attempt on Trump as polls showed the Republican extending a significant lead in key battleground states.
Frank Corder
