Just three months before the U.S. November election, Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential race.
The 60-year-old Walz, a Nebraska native and father of two, emerged as the vice presidential frontrunner among contenders such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The announcement was made official on social media, where both Harris and Walz confirmed their new partnership.
Walz updated his bio on X, stating, “Running to win this thing with @KamalaHarris.”
He also wrote; “It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school.”
Expressing her pride in selecting Walz, Harris wrote on Instagram, “One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle-class families run deep. It’s personal.”
Walz is a graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska and he served in the Army National Guard before becoming a teacher.
His teaching career began on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he met his wife, Gwen, also a teacher.
He later taught in China and then at a high school in Mankato, Minnesota.
Walz first entered politics as a member of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign after an incident where some of his students were questioned for having a Kerry sticker at a George W. Bush rally.
This sparked his political ambition, leading him to where he is today.
Breaking a 40-year tradition, Walz is the first Democrat on a presidential ticket since 1980 not to have attended law school.
He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership, a departure from the usual law degrees of past nominees, with former President Jimmy Carter being the last Democrat on the ticket without a law degree.
