Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance, a Middletown native, has a new challenger in the 2024 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president facing former President Donald Trump, selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Aug. 6. Vance, a U.S. Senator and author, previously faced Harris as her VP challenger until President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on July 21.
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"I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate," Harris wrote on X. "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."
"It is the honor of a lifetime to join Kamala Harris in this campaign. I'm all in," Walz added on X. "Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!"
Walz has signed several progressive policies into Minnesota law, including protection of abortion access, the legalization of recreational marijuana, free school meals for all children, clean energy benchmarks, and "red flag" gun reform laws.
In a campaign video released after the announcement, Walz emphasized his military experience and background as an educator.
Following the pick of Walz, Beshear expressed gratitude for being considered for the role.
It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign.
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 6, 2024
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.
So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us. https://t.co/tqOVsw2OLM
"It is the honor of a lifetime to join Kamala Harris in this campaign. I'm all in," Walz added on X. "Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!"
Who is Tim Walz?
Walz, 60, was born in West Point, Nebraska, northwest of Omaha. He served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring as a high-ranking command sergeant major. A former high school geography teacher and championship-winning football coach, Walz also spent a year teaching in China and can still converse in Mandarin. Walz moved with his wife, Gwen Whipple, then a fellow teacher, to her native Minnesota where they both taught at the local high school. He was first elected to Congress in 2006 in Minnesota’s conservative 1st District, winning re-election five times for a total of 12 years. In 2019, Walz left the House to run for governor, beating Republican Jeff Johnson with wide margins.
Walz has signed several progressive policies into Minnesota law, including protection of abortion access, the legalization of recreational marijuana, free school meals for all children, clean energy benchmarks, and "red flag" gun reform laws.
“My dad was in the Army, and with his encouragement, I joined the Army National Guard when I was 17. I served for 24 years. I used my GI benefits to go to college and become a public school teacher,” Walz narrates in the video. “I coached football and taught social studies for 20 years. And I tried to teach my students what small-town Nebraska taught me: respect, compromise and service to country."
Beshear's (almost) moment
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly were other Democrats considered for the nomination. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was also on the list, sparking attention in the Tri-State as he launched attacks towards Vance for not being a true Appalachian, as Vance frames himself in his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy.
"He claims to be from eastern Kentucky, writes a book about it to profit off our people. And then he calls us lazy. This especially makes me angry about our people in eastern Kentucky,” Beshear said in an interview with CNN.
Following the pick of Walz, Beshear expressed gratitude for being considered for the role.
"It was an honor to be considered in this process, but Tim Walz is a great friend and a great choice," Beshear said on X. "I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect Kamala Harris as our next President of the United States."
It was an honor to be considered in this process, but @Tim_Walz is a great friend and a great choice. I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect @KamalaHarris as our next President of the United States.
— Andy Beshear (@AndyBeshearKY) August 6, 2024
What the Trump-Vance team thinks of Walz
In response to the Walz news, Vance told reporters that he called the Minnesota governor from Kentucky airspace.
“I actually on the way to the flight in Cincinnati, I guess, in northern Kentucky, I actually called Tim Walz, I left a voicemail,” Vance told reporters ahead of a Philadelphia campaign rally. “I didn’t get him, but I just said, ‘Look, congratulations. Look forward to a verbose conversation and enjoy the ride.’ And maybe he’ll call me back, maybe he won’t."
The Trump-Vance team went on to attack Walz in a campaign email, calling his selection "dangerously liberal."
The Trump-Vance team went on to attack Walz in a campaign email, calling his selection "dangerously liberal."
“After Kamala’s selection of Tim Walz that solidifies the Democrat ticket as the most dangerously liberal in American history, she knows she bent the knee to a radical ideology of open borders, soft on crime policies, and Hamas terrorists and sympathizers," said Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump Campaign.
Following the news, Vance told CNN that he'll debate Walz, but "only after" Walz officially becomes the nominee.
Harris and Walz are slated to accept their party's official nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago starting Aug. 19.
Trump, on the other hand, has said he's no longer interested in debating Harris during the previously scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC. He's instead proposed a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News with a live audience, according to a post on Truth Social.
Following the news, Vance told CNN that he'll debate Walz, but "only after" Walz officially becomes the nominee.
Harris and Walz are slated to accept their party's official nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago starting Aug. 19.
Trump, on the other hand, has said he's no longer interested in debating Harris during the previously scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC. He's instead proposed a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News with a live audience, according to a post on Truth Social.
What local leaders think of Walz
Ohio Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman, who once urged Biden to step down from the race and later endorsed Harris, released a statement saying Walz reinforces a "normal" campaign.
"Gov. Walz can do the job, and helps reinforce that we’re team normal. We’re pragmatic, reliable and bipartisan," Landsman said in a press release. "Vance reinforces chaos and extremism. We can’t go back."
Ohio Democratic Party chair Elizabeth Walters praised Walz for his work helping to codify abortion rights in Minnesota.
“Governor Walz is a proven fighter for working families who has spent his time in office cementing Minnesota as a state that leads in abortion rights, workers rights, and so much more," Walters said, in part. "The contrast in this race is clear between Governor Walz and JD Vance, whose vision of the future only includes himself.”
“Governor Walz is a proven fighter for working families who has spent his time in office cementing Minnesota as a state that leads in abortion rights, workers rights, and so much more," Walters said, in part. "The contrast in this race is clear between Governor Walz and JD Vance, whose vision of the future only includes himself.”
Ohio Republican Party chair Alex Triantafilou posted a statement about Walz on X, calling the governor an "out-of-touch far-left liberal."
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, reacted to the Walz news on X with a photo from a recent trip to St. Paul for a Minnesota AANHPI Communities for Harris event. The group is a national organizing and engagement program to mobilize voters and leaders from the AANHPI community across the country.
Election Day 2024 is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Find out if you're registered to vote here.
"Tim Walz is the perfect choice for a San Francisco liberal like Kamala Harris," Triantafilou said. "During his tenure as governor, he provided drivers' licenses and free college tuition to illegal immigrants. He failed to protect his citizens from the most violent and dangerous riots in recent memory. Just like Sherrod Brown, he has been, and will continue to be, a rubber stamp for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden's radical agenda that has crushed Ohio's middle class families.”
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, reacted to the Walz news on X with a photo from a recent trip to St. Paul for a Minnesota AANHPI Communities for Harris event. The group is a national organizing and engagement program to mobilize voters and leaders from the AANHPI community across the country.
"I know some Minnesotans who are pumped right now. Ready and activated to get Harris-Walz across the finish line!" the mayor wrote on X.
Election Day 2024 is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Find out if you're registered to vote here.
