Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her newly minted running mate, made their first public appearance together at a a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.
“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said to an excited crowd. “I found such a leader: Governor Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”
Harris laid out Walz’s Midwestern, middle-class background which stretches from his time serving in the Army National Guard to his decades-long career as a high school teacher during which he coached football and also advised the students’ Gay-Straight Alliance.
Democrats are hoping that Walz’s biography and relatable demeanor can appeal to rural voters and undecided Americans who may lean more to the center.
“My promise to you is this: Our campaign will reach out to everyone, from red states to blue states, from the heartland to the coast, in rural, urban, suburban and tribal communities,” Harris said, underscoring the campaign’s strategy to use Walz to expand the Democratic coalition.
“We are running a campaign on behalf of all Americans,” she said.
Harris and Walz are up against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“Some might say it’s like a matchup between the varsity team and the JV squad,” Harris jeered at the Tuesday rally.
The Harris campaign officially announced Walz as the vice presidential pick Tuesday morning, solidifying the Democratic ticket with just 91 days until the election.
In the hours since, the campaign has released new Harris-Walz merchandise, several advertisements introducing the new name on the ticket and social media statements.
The campaign said it raised $10 million in donations after Walz was announced, a drop in the bucket relative to the $310 million the campaign hauled in July alone.
Over the past two weeks, Walz went through an accelerated VP vetting process, along side fellow contenders like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Shapiro, reportedly the second-strongest contender, joined the Harris-Walz rally in his home state Tuesday evening and gave a roaring speech supporting the ticket, despite ultimately being passed up for the VP job.
“I’m gonna be working my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America,” Shapiro cried out to an amped-up crowd. “Tim Walz is a great patriot. I’ll tell you what else: Tim Walz is a dear friend.”
Harris’ running mate decision punctuated a weeks-long frenzy to pivot the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race following his dismal June debate performance against Trump.
“I launched my campaign for the President of the United States a mere two weeks ago, and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Harris said at the Philadelphia rally, acknowledging the turbocharged timeline that her campaign has been operating on. “Now we got some work to do. We need to move to the general election, and win that.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
