Kamala Harris named Minnesota Governor Tim Walls as her running
mate Walls is a former school teacher and seasoned Washington
lawmaker who has been credited with a new political insult
against Republicans. Yes, they're weird. They prove
that every day. It's an observation walls is viewed
as more of a moderate figure, but someone who
has picked up a number of causes as governor.
He's not somebody who has an extensive fundraising base or
is someone who is very well known among the public
walls. Ascension comes as Harris has consolidated support among
Democrats after President Biden exited the race. Here's a
look at what walls brings as running mate in an
election showdown with Donald Trump and JD Vance. Tim
Walls is a proven winner among rural voters and he's
been very successful in Minnesota which is a state that
Republicans are trying to put onto the battleground. Map
walls really gives this every man persona. He's somebody
who is very comfortable with farmers. He's also someone
who can appeal to voters in the suburbs and the
cities. Hey, Minnesota Governor Walls here at the
Great Minnesota get together. The 60 year old governor
didn't begin his career in politics. He's someone who
worked as a schoolteacher for more than two decades.
He also spent time in the military. So he
really brings to the table a background of someone who
had an entirely different life before he entered politics.
Walls was first elected to Congress in 2006, managing
to unseat a six term Republican in one of the
state's more conservative districts. He was supportive of a
number of issues related to agriculture. He also served
as a leader on veterans affairs issues. Given his
extensive background in the army reserves walls was once given
an a rating from the National Rifle Association. After
the Parkland shooting in 2018, he quickly pivoted to
support background checks and the nr a disavowed many of
his proposals after 12 years in Congress Walls ran for
Minnesota governor in 2018 as someone who could compromise with
Republicans, he won by more than 11% points.
Minnesota Walls was re elected in 2022 and a year
later oversaw a democratic controlled state legislature with a progressive
agenda. He helped get through a program to provide
universal school meals for Children. He was supportive of
codifying abortion rights. He was supportive of the legalization
of recreational marijuana. He was viewed as somebody who
was very progressive on climate change, the environment and
also in promoting infrastructure spending walls was criticized for his
handling of the civic unrest following the murder of George
Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 I'm
authorizing and talking to General Jensen to fully mobilize the
Minnesota National Guard. An action that has never been
taken in the 164 year history of the Minnesota National
Guard walls deployed the National Guard three days after Floyd's
murder. I see in July, the governor signed
a police reform bill banning the use of chokeholds in
most cases and requiring other officers to intervene when another
is using excessive force. In the aftermath of George
Floyd's murder. He faced some criticism that he did
not act quickly enough to quell some of the violence
that we saw on the streets of the city.
There was criticism that he didn't quickly bring in the
National Guard to restore order. In recent weeks.
Walls has repeatedly used one word to describe Trump and
his running mate, JD Vance. Yes, they're
weird and I am not changing that. I see
Donald Trump talking about the wonderful Hannibal Lecter, whatever
weird thing he's on tonight. That is weird behavior
and it seems to have caught on, by the
way, don't you find some of their stuff to
just be plain weird in the lead up to his
selection as harris' running mate. He really showed a
penchant for being the attack dog, namely his appearances
on some of the Sunday shows, some of the
cable TV hits that he did attacking JD Vance.
People like JD Vance know nothing about small town America
. Although no Republican presidential candidate has won over Minnesota
voters since Richard Nixon. The Trump campaign wants to
compete there. Minnesota is a state that Democrats really
can't lose. Trump got very close in 2016 and
has since then, always tried to put the state
into play. He and Vance have made appearances recently
in the state and they view it as a place
where they could perhaps cut into the Democratic battleground map
the Harris Walls ticket and its platform will take center
stage in Chicago during the week of August 19 when
the Democratic National Convention convenes to cement their nominations walls
, helps neutralize JD Vance's appeal to rural voters,
especially those voters in the Midwest, some of the
states that will help determine the election. We expect
walls to give an address at the Democratic National Convention
that will really be his first opportunity to give the
American people a window into his life, his career
, his background and that will be an important showcase
for him before Democrats.