Former President Barack Obama has expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris‘ decision to select Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Obama praised Walz as an “ideal partner” for Harris as she squares off against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance in November.
“When a presidential candidate chooses a running mate, it says a lot about who they are and what kind of president they’ll be,” the two-term Democrat said in a statement. “Do they pick someone inexperienced and polarizing who will deepen our divisions? Or do they pick someone with the judgment to make tough decisions, and the character to believe that every voice counts and everyone deserves an equal chance?
“By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner – and made it clear exactly what she stands for.”
Obama selected Harris’ boss President Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008, when the incumbent commander-in-chief was a veteran senator.
“Governor Walz doesn’t just have the experience to be vice president, he has the values and the integrity to make us proud,” the statement said.
“Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that the government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.”
Walz, who worked as a high school teacher and football coach before entering politics, said it was the “honor of a lifetime” to be selected as Harris’s running mate.
President Joe Biden hailed the decision and said the Harris-Walz ticket would be “a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class.”
Walz grew up in Nebraska and served in the Army National Guard for 24 years from the age of 17. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota’s 1st congressional district from 2007 to 2019.
He was first elected as governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
Republicans have lined up to criticize Harris’ decision to name Walz as her running mate.
One-time Trump rival Nikki Haley said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Democrats doubling down on the Progressive movement. Waltz is a win for open borders, socialism, and Iran.”
Karoline Leavitt, Trump Campaign Press Secretary told Newsweek: “It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate – Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State.
