While Vice President Harris is considering her running mate, Democrats in the House of Representatives are increasingly leaning toward a former colleague: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Walz was first elected to Congress in 2006 and served in the House of Representatives for 12 years, rising to become the highest-ranking Democrat on the powerful Veterans Affairs Committee before returning home to govern the North Star State in 2019.
The amiable Walz was not only popular on Capitol Hill, he also had the honor of being the highest-ranking soldier in the history of Congress – a status that endeared him to Pentagon supporters of both parties.
That unique resume — coupled with his Midwestern roots, liberal politics and staunch defense of the Biden administration in this year’s election campaign — have made him a top candidate among a growing number of Democrats on Capitol Hill who say he would be a mighty addition to the Democratic ticket as Harris fights to stop former President Trump from winning a second term in the White House.
“My emotional favorite is Tim Walz,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the ranking Democrat on the powerful Rules Committee. “He was a great member of Congress. The people I know in Minnesota tell me he’s a great governor. … But more importantly, he’s a good guy. He’s down to earth, he’s real, he’s not fake, and he says things as he sees them and he tells it like it is, and I appreciate that candor.”
Democrat Pramila Jayapal (Washington), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also singled out Walz as a particularly attractive vice presidential candidate. She cited Walz’s track record in supporting unions and working families as the main reason for her support.
“I want someone who is really strong pro-worker and understands labor, because that is an important part of the working-class agenda and he needs to make sure we win the working-class vote,” Jayapal said.
“I want someone who is fully committed to the agenda that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have fought for. … And then I think it should be someone who is really good in some of our Midwestern states. So making sure we win Wisconsin, Ohio – some of those places. And that brings me to – I really like Governor Walz,” she continued. “I like what he’s accomplished. I like that he comes from a rural town; I like that he has a military background.”
“So he would be a great choice.”
Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appears to favor Walz. A source familiar with the California Democrat’s thinking told The Hill that she is “always particularly fond of former colleagues in the House” when asked about Harris’ running mate – a reference to Walz.
Harris’ running mate is entering the home stretch. The vice president is expected to announce her running mate in the next few days. The candidates will travel to seven essential swing states next week. The trip begins on Tuesday with a stopover in Philadelphia.
Walz’s name has been rumored to be on Harris’ shortlist, along with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, to name a few.
While Democrats are confident their cadre of candidates is mighty, and many have said they are excited about any of the options — “there really isn’t a bad choice, they’re all really good,” McGovern said — House Democrats have developed a particular preference for the candidate they know best.
“The other person [Democrats are interested in] is our former colleague Tim Walz, who we know really well,” said Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.), chair of the New Democrat Coalition. “He was my chairman when I was on the Veterans Affairs Committee when I was a new member of Congress. Incredibly nice guy, very well respected in the House and the Senate and then by the governors.”
Walz, who currently chairs the Democratic Governors Association, forged his own path on Capitol Hill, opposing his Democratic colleagues on some high-profile issues and giving a voice to heartland voters he said were neglected even by his own party.
In 2014, for example, he was irate when party leaders – including Pelosi – used concealed procedural tactics to block his first run for the highest ranking member of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Two years later, he was openly critical his fellow Democrats when they chose a leadership team that leaned heavily toward the coasts, warning that the lack of regional diversity would alienate Midwesterners like those he represented. And while other Democrats vehemently defended ObamaCare against Republican attacks, Walz admitted The “warts” that plague the comprehensive health care reform law and promised not to sugarcoat them in discussions with voters in her district.
“I cannot do that,” he said at the time, “because by doing so I would be failing my constituents in many ways.”
But Walz was also a warm-hearted team player who championed a number of traditionally liberal programs – including raising the minimum wage and stem cell research – and also championed other controversial Democratic initiatives, including then-President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Walz’s folksy style, combined with his long military career, earned him the favor of MPs from both partiesThat patronage helped Walz win the top Democratic seat on the Veterans Affairs Committee in 2017 and also gave him some prestige when he went on the news circuit this summer to criticize Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), for their “weird” political agenda and their claim that only Republicans supported Second Amendment rights.
“That’s JD Vance’s thing: talking about guns. I guarantee you he can’t shoot pheasants like I can,” Walz told Anderson Cooper on CNN this week. He quickly added that he supports certain restrictions on firearms to curb the epidemic of gun violence in America.
Some Democrats believe his military service could be crucial for the party.
“He has really good relationships with the veterans community and is respected even in conservative circles,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). “He was respected by the VFW and the American Legion and I’m sure he still is. And that ability, that kind of outreach, is a real value-add as well.”
House Democrats have also praised the other vice presidential candidates, pointing to Shapiro’s high approval ratings in Pennsylvania, a key swing state; Buttigieg’s Midwestern appeal and tactful messages on television; Kelly’s past as an astronaut; his marriage to former congresswoman and gun control activist Gabby Giffords; and his recent victory in Arizona, another swing state.
“There are a lot of good opportunities out there,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.).
“I think there’s a case for all of them,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) echoed of those being considered for the second spot. “They all represent the transition back to normal and the forward-looking vision that Harris has laid out for our democracy, our freedom and our democracy. Tim happens to be one of my favorites.”
As the party and the country await Harris’ announcement, some Democrats said the ultimate deciding factor should be a elementary and pragmatic one: Will the party’s selection facilitate it win the White House in November?
“It’s about math, math, math – electoral math,” Connolly said. “Synergies are important, but if someone can’t bring electoral strength to the ballot, that’s a risk we can’t afford.”
