Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — an outspoken Ukraine supporter — as her running mate for the U.S. presidential elections this fall.
Harris’s selection of the 60-year-old midwestern to join her ticket closes what has been a frantic few weeks of vetting that traditionally takes months after U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep,” Harris said in her official announcement on Instagram. “What impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family.”
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Walz has been a vocal advocate for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, signing legislation barring state agencies from doing business with Russian and Belarusian companies. His state is also home to weapons manufacturers that supply arms critical for Ukraine’s defense.
Walz met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April of 2023 for a conversation organized by the National Governors Association, the same group that hosted Zelensky in Utah following the NATO Summit in July.
“It was an honor to hear from President Zelensky firsthand and offer him our unwavering support,” Walz said in a statement following the April meeting. “Minnesota is a proud home to many Ukrainian families, and we will continue to welcome and support Ukrainian refugees in our state.”
When the German Marshall Fund visited Minnesota as a part of their ‘Whistlestops for Ukraine’ tour rallying support for Ukraine in the country’s center, Walz was there.
In February, the Minnesota governor established an agricultural partnership between Minnesota and Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv Oblast during a meeting with Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador.
“Once we drive the Russians out, we will have some cooperation,” Walz said, discussing the agricultural partnership. “It’s a really important showing of friendship and a real important showing of ties.”
In addition to being a an agricultural state, Minnesota hosts facilities of two major defense companies.
A facility of aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman has helped produce drones and ammunition for the war-torn country. British multinational aerospace, defense and information security company BAE Systems’s facility in the state has also helped produce howitzer parts provided to Ukraine.
Jonathan Katz, a national security expert at the Brookings Institute, said what is arguably more notable than the weapons production is Walz’s welcoming of Ukrainian refugees to Minnesota.
Given the passionate hostility toward U.S. support of Ukraine displayed by Walz’s future disputant, JD Vance, any pick by Harris would have satisfied advocates for Ukraine, comparatively.
John Herbst, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, said selecting Walz was a mistake, not necessarily for Ukraine but for Harris’s hopes of reaching moderate voters. As both Harris and Donald Trump need to reach moderate voters, Herbst finds it perplexing they both opted for non-moderate running mates.
While Herbst thinks Harris and Walz can still defeat Trump, it is a bit harder without a direct moderate tie, he said. With the Walz selection, Herbst still expects Harris to carry out similar policies toward Ukraine as President Biden, possibly more aggressive.
Katz, the national security expert at Brookings who tends to agree with Herbst on most all things Ukraine, disagrees. Between Walz’s time serving on the Armed Services Committee in Congress to being trained on heavy artillery himself, Katz thinks Walz is not only the right pick for Harris but also for Ukraine.
Due to his time on the committee, he understands what weapons allies need and how to navigate that foreign policy on the Hill, Katz said.
Despite opting for the candidate deemed a “liberal darling” in recent days, Katz thinks Walz will still be able to reach into the center and attract moderate voters in swing states, pointing to his availability to succeed in rural and conservative Minnesota districts.
Walz, a former Army National Guardsman and high school teacher, gained attention in recent weeks for beginning the trend of calling Trump “weird.” From abortion protection and gun restrictions to free school meals, Walz has delivered progressive policies for Minnesota.
Doug Klain, a policy analyst in Washington for Razom for Ukraine, said Walz biggest asset to the Harris ticket is domestic, with his ability to bridge the urban-rural divide.
“As a veteran he’s uniquely positioned to speak credibly to Americans on the necessity of American involvement in Europe,” Klain said. “Governor Walz has a strong track record on Ukraine and he’s uniquely well-positioned thanks to his background to be a serious advocate of helping Ukraine win.”
Harris and Walz, who has been the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, will appear for their first time together Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a frequent stop for both parties seeking the swing state of Pennsylvania in November.
They will appear at Temple University, the same place Trump rallied in June. The newly linked pair will continue their swing-state travels by visiting Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. They will then appear together again at the Democratic National Convention beginning on Aug. 19 in Chicago where they are expected to formally accept their delegate's votes.
The de facto host of the DNC will be Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was also in contention to join Harris’s ticket. Walz now has a chance to continue introducing himself to the national stage, as a Reuters/Ipsos poll released just days before Harris selected Walz showed he was the candidate Americans knew least.
Walz, who won re-election in 2022 and previously spent 12 years in Congress, ultimately emerged from a rapidly compiled group of a dozen Democrats largely representing swing states.
Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky were amongst the final contenders along with Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, and Arizona Senator, Mark Kelly.
Herbst questions why Harris didn’t select Kelly or Shapiro, who would’ve brought moderate voters and a swing state along with them.
Andrea Januta
