Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as running mate against Trump and Vance
- The governor has been a teacher in China, high school football coach, member of Congress, and a high-ranking member of the National Guard
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Harris picks Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to join her US leadership run vs Trump and Vance
US Vice-President Kamala Harris introduced Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota to a cheering crowd in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, after announcing earlier in the day that he will be her running mate in the US presidential election, settling the top of the Democratic ticket just two weeks before the party’s national convention.
Walz is scheduled to campaign with Harris in coming days in each of the seven most competitive states – Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada – starting with a first appearance at Temple University in North Philadelphia, where they were introduced by Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro.
Referencing a host of domestic social issues including union solidarity, voting and abortion rights, universal background checks for gun owners, and inclusivity for minorities, Harris framed her partnership with Walz as one that can attract voters from the two environments they hail from, and all constituencies in between.
“The promise of America is what makes it possible for two middle class kids, one a daughter of Oakland, California, who was raised by a working mother, the other a son of the Nebraska plains, who grew up working on a farm ... only in America is it possible for them, together, to make it all the way to the White House,” Harris said.
Walz, 60, then echoed Harris in warning the crowd that Trump aims to repeal or undercut the Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed during the administration of Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, as well as Social Security and Medicare. The two also warned repeatedly that a second Trump administration would mean further restrictions on abortion.
Harris’ opponent in the election “said he’d ban abortion across this country, and he’ll do it whether or not Congress is there or not”, Walz said. “Donald Trump’s not fighting for you or your family. He never sat at that kitchen table, like the one I grew up at.”
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Kamala Harris, a trailblazer eyeing America’s highest glass ceiling
