Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday, according to three people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
In choosing Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.
Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Republican Donald Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.
Walz, 60, is joining Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates during an exceedingly compressed time frame.
The three people spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the official announcenment later Tuesday.
Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders, all of whom were white men. In landing on Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.
Walz has been a strong public advocate for Harris in her campaign against Trump and Vance, labeling the Republicans “just weird” in an interview last month. Democrats have seized on the message and amplified it since then.
The former high school geography teacher and National Guard veteran, who helped enact a long list of progressive policy priorities in Minnesota, could win over voters in Midwestern swing states. He said he would help Democrats push to expand reproductive health, voting and workers’ rights on the federal level, if elected.
But the 60-year-old governor could also face questions about his response to riots in Minneapolis following the 2020 murder of George Floyd and widespread fraud during COVID-19 under a federal program intended to feed kids. Audits have suggested lapses in oversight by the state Department of Education.
DID ANYONE REALLY THINK THAT THIS ANTI ISRAEL KAMALA WOULD PICK JOSH SHAPIRO, A JEW AS VICE PRESIDENT???!!!! ANY JEWISH PERSON WHO VOTES FOR THE ANTI SEMITIC, ANTI ISRAEL, ANTI AMERICAN DEMOCRAT PARTY IS MENTALLY UNSTABLE!!!! THIS INCLUDES EVERY SINGLE SANE AMERICAN WHO COULD READ ” THE WRITTING ON THE WALL” CHAS V,SHOLOM THAT SHE SHOULD WIN!!!! UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP I PAID LESS THE $2 FOR GAS!! THERE WAS WORLD PEACE! INFLATION WAS ALMOST NOTHING! FOOD PRICES WERE REASONABLE!!! THE REBBE ONCE CALLED AMERICAN PEOPLE “OLEM GOLEM” HE SAID YOU CAN’T TELL THEM WHAT TO DO BUT YOU CAN TEACH… Read more »
Why are you yelling?
We don’t speak like this. We’re Lubavitcher Chassidim. Not Fox News contributors. It’s time to make a chesbon hanefesh and wake yourself up from you zombie like addiction to this cult of personality. We must do better! We are supposed to be the Rebbee soldiers in a war or light not hate.
Two complete socialists .
What an amazing ticket!! Can’t wait to vote for these two
why do these trolls come here to express their wickedness and hate. there’s not a real jew that can even think about voting for these rasha’s
I’m a real Jew who will be voting for Harris and Walz and I’m so excited 🙂
U should be ashamed, i pitty you
Walz has spoken out in support of abortion rights—“Abortion is health care. he supports murder. straight out
you are aware that abortion is allowed according to halacha? i’m concerned that the jewish education in this community has completely failed
THEY DIDNT PICK SHAPIRO CUZ OF HIS JEWISHNESS. RACISM. AND YOU SUPPORT THAT. THATS WHY I KNOW YOUR A TROLL
Shapiro opened up last night’s rally in Philadelphia by giving an amazing speech in support of Harris. are you at all aware of what is going in reality?
Walz signed the so-called “Trans Refuge” bill into law that restricted state agencies from complying with out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants and extradition requests for people who traverse to Minnesota from other states for “gender-affirming care.”
He also signed an executive order protecting “gender-affirming care” in Minnesota, including puberty blockers, surgeries and hormone therapy.
The order also called upon state agencies not to approve health insurance plans that didn’t cover gender-affirming operations.
I think both Hashem and the Rebbe would support providing access to health care for all people. We all deserve to be treated with respect regardless of gender BH!!
This guy is complete woke he supports immoral things for kids . Sick person , sick policies . Sick mind
As Jews how we support that ideology?
Just follow halacha and be kind and open minded to all people
Is this a political news site or a Lubavitch news site about things happening in Lubavitch?
I don’t think we should confuse the two.
As Lubavitchers the state of our society and country we live in has no impact on us?
Also, the Rebbe spent hours talking about the state of American values and the security of the land of Israel.
If it doesn’t matter to you then ignore it.
im sorry, but your wrong. in our days, we must differentiate between the evil and good. we must speak up and not be idle about the corruptness of the dem party. we cant be posayach al shnei haseiphim. no blurred lines
Correct. In today’s day we must work together as a community and see what’s right and do well know what’s wrong. This happens to be why there are Rabbis…
In this crazy world are u being real or sarcastic
Can he dance the Walz?
Does he support the bike lanes
Shame of Lubavitchers standing with her and Vice pick. Certainly hope the ballots don’t reflect that. It’s disgusting.
ACTAULY ANYONE THAT VOTES DEMOCRATIC SHOULD BE BANNED FROM SHUL AND NO ALIYAHS . NOTHING TO DO IN ANY COMMUNITY
this is the same hatred and fear that trump and his followers promote. Banning Jews from your community is a horrible, unkind, deplorable act that the rebbe would never stand for. I hope you take the time to correct your actions, do real teshuva and meditate on how a true chossid of the rebbe is supposed to behave and speak towards fellow jews
Really? or did they just Say he lost?
A lot of people think that he won and they cheated.
this a strong ticket for democrats, with Gd’s help they will win this election
THERES NO WAY A JEW ESPECIALLY A OBERSERVANT JEW WROTE THIS. GO BACK TO YOUR WICKED PLACES AND WRITE THERE
I am an observant Jew, not that I have anything to prove to you.
I’m shocked that an observant Jew like yourself could write the way you have to another. No ahavas yisroel to be found among maga republicans.
We should not be complacent about this and there is no positive way to spin it. The Democrats chose this guy because he is not Jewish, and they viewed it as a liability to have a candidate who is a Jew and not ashamed of it. This is an insane situation and it calls to mind the kind of open bigotry we had in this country in the 1920s. If we are not going to stand against it we should get used to it. If we don’t want to be second class citizens here, we must speak up.
Instead it’s ilhan omar’s friend
As difficult as it may be dear reader to see a woman in a position of power, let us remember the dangers inherent if chas v’shalom Fürher Trump wins.
I am a man, and my favorite people in this world happen to be particular women. The woman I adore, I would vote for in a heartbeat to lead this world. Because she is a brilliant, compassionate, G-d fearing woman who is Jewish and loves humanity and the Jewish people as well. Everything Kamala Harris is not. I don’t understand how someone who is any of those things, would vote for these two, especially after they passed over a man because he is a faithful Jew. And I had relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust and a father who… Read more »
Please explain the dangers because I remember America and the Jewish people being much safer under his presidency
liberalism is a disease . Besras Hashem furher Trump wins
Rashi said women don’t belong in power.
You don’t need to denigrate the audience. No one has an issue with a woman leading. That may be your own thoughts.
Biden’s leadership has brought the entire world to the doorstep of war. Kamala was part of that.
She didn’t even win a primary. There’s almost no democracy at play here. What would we say about a country whose choice of candidates includes one who was appointed by party power brokers?
She was… appointed. Now she appoints.
If we are lucky, they will count our votes.
The Rebbe said we should vote for a candidate based on sheva mitzvos. As governor, he signed into law legislation repealing abortion and adultery laws. He is not someone who should lead this nation, which needs to strengthen in following Hashem’s laws.
Trumps going to win. #Kamalakrash
not a chance thank gd. Kamala is going to be the next president b’ezras Hashem!!
IF YOU WANT A PRESIDENT THAT LOVES ISRAEL IN HIS HEART AND WILL DEFEND ISRAEL NO MATTER WHAT
THEN VOTE TRUMP 2024 MAGA
KARMALA HARRIS WILL TRASH WHATS SHE AND BIDEN HAS LEFT TO TRASH OF THE USA
IF YOU WANT MORE WARS
MORE INFLATION
SKY HIGH FOOD PRICES
SKY HIGH GAS PRICES
MIGRANTS BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TAKING YOUR JOBS & HOSPITAL AND DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS, COMMITTING SERIOUS CRIMES,
PRO GAZA ARABS RAMPAGING ON OUR STREETS AND CAMPUSES
STOPPING ARM SALES TO ISRAEL
TWO STATE POLLUTION
THEN GO AHEAD LOSERS….VOTE HARRIS & WALZ
You can say you are proud to be democrats but the rest of the democrats just aren’t interested in you.
I am an observant Jew who plays an active role in the democratic party and have many friends who treat me with respect, we’re all voting for Harris!!!!!
I’m sorry but it’s almost ten years and I’m heartbroken over how my felllow chabad lubavitchers have lifted up a despicable man who has the tongue only a Baal soneh could have. What would the rebbe want? If you think the Revbe would have supported someone like trump you are sorely lacking in your hiskashrus. Open a Tanya or a Sicha to see how our Rebbeim spoke about speech, and aidelkeit and Ahavas Yisroel. So many of you have been indoctrinated into a cult of personality. I’m old enough to remember when the only reason a chossid is involved in… Read more »
Trump has terrible personal characteristics but so does Biden, so does Harris, and so have many of our Presidents. It is inconceivable that the Rebbe would have in any way, supported individuals such as these leading Democrats, who so plainly endanger the safety of the Jewish people, so much so that they just rejected a Jew to be a Vice Presidential nominee because he is a supporter of Israel. Wake up. You have deluded yourself, and you don’t seem to understand the danger we are in.
This is a chossid
we’re proud to have you in this community and hope more like you come forward
Truly wonderful, BH love to see these two take the white house!!
The fact is there is a very good chance. He’s going to be VP Mamish. All the pontificating on earth won’t have that, so it’s good the Shluchim are close to him. We need to be bracing for the worst and making connections.
They’ve got my vote!!
These are the candidates America deserves
couldn’t be more proud as a Lubavitcher to give them my vote
…With the microphone standing next to the handsome shliach, Rabbi Feller?!
I say let the left go as far as they can. South Africa is a really nice place from what I hear.
Just think:
If they really get their way we can have many more inspirational stories about living in gulag!
Hashem runs the world. If he controls everything then surely who will lead the free world. The person who will be in the white house does not know now what challenges will come up next 4 years. And Hashem knows who should be there. Best proof. 9-11 Bush won by a small margin….Why? He had this challenge meant by hashem to deal with. Maybe Trump only came in to free Rubashkin….רבות מחשבות בלב איש ועצת השם היא תקום
they both encompass Jewish values and humane, moral values
We should start a community fundraiser for her campaign