
Vice President Kamala Harris had sixteen days to select a lifelong partner. In the end, she chose the choice that she and the rest of the world knew the least about.
Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz was a surprise choice right away and wasn’t included on early lists of possible running mates. But nobody made better use of the 16 days that have passed since President Joe Biden resigned than Walz, who won over both national Democrats and Harris with a Diet Mountain Dew-fueled media tour that branded the opposition as “weird” and cemented his place in history.
Making a decision that can be challenging even in the best of circumstances, let alone under extraordinary time pressure, will leave a lasting impression on the image of Harris that is still developing for many Americans, who know her far less than they do Biden or former President Donald Trump.
Harris sees Walz—a gun-owning hunter who enlisted in the Army National Guard at the age of 17—as a dependable ruling partner who fits in well with her experience. The governor had to practice using a teleprompter on Tuesday before giving a major speech at his first rally in Philadelphia, even though he doesn’t usually use one.
Three weeks ago, Harris did not know any of the contenders well. However, Harris came to the conclusion that she had the best personal rapport with Walz and was confident that he would support her and not let his personal goals get in the way after narrowing down her final list to Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. Harris conducted in-person interviews with each of them on Sunday.
A White House official remarked, “You also have to ask yourself at some point: Is this someone you would want to spend four years having lunch with every week?”
It ultimately came down to believing her “gut,” according to those close to Harris; one assistant likened it to selecting a spouse. While nobody is flawless, Walz was regarded as the greatest.
Many Democrats were taken aback by the choice, including some influential party funders who were not familiar with the sleeper candidate.
Chris Korge, national finance chair for the Harris campaign, stated, “After reading about him, they were taken aback.” Korge began taking calls as soon as the news broke. “I received a ton of calls today, and none of them were unfavorable. They cherished his relatability.
Harris is now placing a wager that America will be won over by Walz’s Midwesterner dad charm, just as it was by her squad.
This is the insider account of Harris’s journey to Walz, based on interviews with over a dozen Democrats, many of whom asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss openly what went on behind closed doors.
A clock that is ticking
The advisors to Harris did not wait for Biden to relinquish power.
People close to Harris and outside allies started thinking about what her campaign might look like a few days before his announcement, and they started kicking around names of possible running mates at daily meetings because Democrats realized they had to meet an impending deadline to finalize their nominee.
Her team quickly came to the conclusion that Biden’s withdrawal necessitated the nomination of a middle-aged white guy for many of the same reasons that Barack Obama selected Biden as his running mate.
According to someone acquainted with the Harris campaign’s thinking, it’s not “rocket science.” “Let’s be honest. Many white men who are racist and sexist exist in America and dislike Trump but only need a bit more approval.
Another person with knowledge of the process stated that they required “someone who provides a venue for those who lean moderately Republican.” “Although Trump is appalling and JD Vance is terrifying, I wasn’t really confident that Biden or her could handle the job,” are the Nikki Haley voters.
Under the direction of former White House counsel Dana Remus and Attorney General Eric Holder, nine names were first chosen to begin the screening process.
Holder and Remus completed compiling their results by last Thursday in preparation for a meeting on Friday with a group of reliable confidants who performed the initial interviews. Among them were former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and former Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond, a close Biden aide who is still supporting the Harris campaign.
By Saturday, Walz, Shapiro, and Kelly were the only three names left on the list, and they were instructed to be ready for in-person meetings with Harris.
On their approach to the most significant meeting of their occupants’ lives, the black SUVs with out-of-state license plates drove through the gates of the vice president’s residence, the Washington Naval Observatory, on Sunday.
Walz felt confident as he left the meeting. Shapiro didn’t.
According to a close friend of Shapiro, “he wrestled with it on Sunday” since he “loves his job” and has more he wants to accomplish after just two years. No matter where he sits, “[He’s] all in for her,” the person continued.
By the end of the weekend, Harris’s voice was becoming scratchy from speaking with candidates and advisors so much that she started bringing throat lozenges to the endless sessions.
Meanwhile, the equipment that would eventually assist the running mate started to whirr to life beyond the observatory’s black iron fence.
“Jump teams” were sent to the finalists in case they were selected, and Liz Allen, a former Biden State Department staffer, was selected to be the eventual running mate’s chief of staff. Workers at the Wilmington, Delaware campaign headquarters started putting together talking points, films, visuals, and even stump speeches for each candidate.
By producing signs featuring other candidates and, paradoxically, through a party committee led by Walz, Aides attempted to give Harris as much time as possible so that she could make her choice after the party officially nominated her.
Outside a polling location on Tuesday, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said, “People were like it was ‘The Bachelor’ playing out in real time.”
Previous years’ vetting candidates have described the process as taxing and uncomfortable, with some drawing comparisons to a proctology test.
The candidates are subjected to lengthy questionnaires regarding their personal, professional, financial, legal, and familial histories. These are followed by “murder boards,” which are interviews lasting several hours during which the candidates are asked unpleasant questions and hypothetical scenarios are presented to see how they respond. Maybe after that, they get to meet the applicant in person for the job interview.
Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, who was considered to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, described the process as “a grind.”
Allegiance to Biden
Shapiro and Kelly were considered the front-runners from the start, and all three qualified as finalists, whereas Walz was the underdog.
The two governors are pals in the narrow realm of Democratic politics; last year, they went to a Bruce Springsteen concert in New Jersey together with former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke, who worked with Walz in the House and has been quietly supporting him.
Shapiro said in a statement on Tuesday, “Lori and I consider Tim and Gwen to be close friends, and we are thrilled for them to become well-known across the nation as well as for who they are.”
Despite having the best resume of all the contenders, Kelly is viewed by many Democrats as a personally chilly and unimpressive speaker.
According to a person familiar with the process, some Harris supporters also thought he had not done enough to support the administration’s border policy and that he was not faithful enough to Biden in the difficult weeks following his dismal debate performance.
In a statement, Kelly commended Walz and mentioned that Walz served with his wife, Gabby Giffords, in the House.
He declared, “Gabby and I will stop at nothing to ensure that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris become the next president and vice president.”
An inquiry for more information was not answered by Kelly’s team.
Although Shapiro, a fiery prosecutor with aspirations to become president, garnered the most outspoken support, he also faced the most widespread opposition on Harris’ short list due to his views on Israel and his criticism of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
However, neither she nor any of the other contenders were able to win over her team’s home states.
According to a Democratic strategist familiar with the polling the party hurried to do before Harris had to make a decision, “Polling showed Shapiro wouldn’t help that much more than the others.” And it would be terrible on all fronts to push Gaza back into the spotlight. Nobody desired to go back to that.
Concerns were voiced by some supporters of Harris regarding his endorsement of school vouchers, his handling of a sexual harassment lawsuit against one of his closest former assistants, and a convoluted legal matter from his tenure as attorney general.
The worry that Shapiro’s personal goals might collide with Harris’s was arguably more significant than any particular problem; this worry was brought up to Harris’ team by an advisor to Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has openly disagreed with Shapiro.
A prominent Democrat who has collaborated with Josh Shapiro stated, “Being in Josh Shapiro’s position as the heir would not be desirable to me.”
When asked for more comments, Shapiro’s staff remained silent.
According to those close to Harris, she was searching for a supporter who would stick by her side no matter what, considering the unconventional manner in which she was chosen and the possibility of internal opposition and a primary challenge in 2028.
“MAGA is about to go off.” These are going to be days of horrific chaos. She needs someone who can support her during difficult times and who will be there for her when deepfakes and these memes become popular, among other things, according to a source familiar with the Harris campaign’s strategy.
Conversely, Walz is viewed as a friendly team player who was raised in the classroom and the military rather than in the executive branch.
According to someone with knowledge of the screening process, he was seen to be someone who wouldn’t “sabotage” her if she were elected president by leaking information or speaking behind her back.
White House officials noticed that he was among the few who publicly defended Biden in front of the cameras following his contentious meeting with Democratic governors on July 3 following his dismal performance in the debate.
“Loyal” is the term that Biden aides and advisers use most frequently to characterize Walz.
A person acquainted with her thought process stated, “She truly needs a partner who will be as committed to her as she was to President Biden.”
The Walz case
Only a few occasions had Harris and Walz interacted, most notably in March when she went to a St. Paul Planned Parenthood clinic.
However, Harris and her group were observing the candidates’ “auditions” in a sense—TV appearances and stump speeches—and they were impressed when Walz became well-known the day after Trump selected him by calling Republican JD Vance “weird.”
After being used by Walz, the word appeared in a campaign news release two days later. A few days later, Harris used it at a fundraiser in the western Massachusetts Berkshire Mountains, and the word spread throughout the party.
Many people were thrilled with Shapiro’s appearance and speech, since they saw him as the future Obama, according to Caitlin Legacki, a seasoned strategist who has dealt with moderate and Midwest Democrats.Wald has the appearance and demeanor of Senator Jon Tester of Montana, which allows us to move freely in suburban, exurban, and possibly even rural areas.
Minnesota Democrats started approaching him to reporters and colleagues on Capitol Hill, but soon discovered that no one had informed Walz about the endeavor.
Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, stated, “I hadn’t really discussed with Tim whether or not he would want to be vice president, so I had to give him a call.” In other words, we kind of got the cart before the horse. It really did develop naturally.
Furthermore, Walz’s track record of victory in a state with a sizable Muslim population reassures Democrats worried about Muslim and Arab voters, particularly in Michigan.
An elected figure from Michigan stated, “He does not denigrate the people he represents, which is a significant community in his state.”
Walz applauded the “civically engaged” voters who chose to support Biden in this year’s presidential primary, despite the fact that many Democratic elites mocked them for their decision.
Democratic observers pointed out that Walz’s selection also benefits Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who, should Walz step down, would become the country’s first Indigenous female governor.
Harris made a “brilliant” choice in selecting Walz, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. In addition, he said that although Minnesota is a blue state, Democrats there consistently strive for change and that Walz possesses the ability to speak directly to the concerns of voters in the Midwest.
“It’s never simple,” Ellison remarked. We’re not winning because we live in a blue state alone.Because we knock on doors, engage with our neighbors, and cooperate, we succeed. Additionally, Tim Walz is aware of the Minnesota winning strategy.
Minnesota Nice
While Walz appeared out of nowhere to many Americans, Democrats in Minnesota who have known him for years expressed that they are “not at all” astonished by Walz’s rapid ascension from unknown to well-known figure in just two weeks, as Sen. Tina Smith put it. What she and other Minnesotans already know, they argue, will soon be seen by the rest of America.
Smith remarked, “Simply put, he’s a really fascinating leader.”
With family, employees, and doughnuts, Walz enjoyed his final morning of comparatively normalcy at Eastcliff, the imposing white estate in St. Paul’s verdant Merriam Park that overlooks the Mississippi River. The governor’s family is residing in the house while their official residence is being renovated. Normally, the mansion is used by the president of the University of Minnesota.
Under his trademark camouflage baseball cap, Walz was dressed in khakis, white sneakers, and a black T-shirt. He answered his phone and set it on speaker mode.
Harris responded, “Listen, I want you to do this with me.” “Are you willing to run alongside me?”
He didn’t think twice.
He answered, “Madam Vice President, I would be honored.” “It would be a privilege to experience the joy and enthusiasm you are bringing back to this country.”
Neighbors were amazed by the scene outside and mentioned that Walz’s family had gotten together a few times to make amends for the commotion their presence had caused. He’s a very friendly and grounded guy, according to Mike Veehof, who lives next door.
Following his conversation with Harris, Walz contacted his team and got into an SUV that transported him to an Embraer E-170 that was chartered and headed for Philadelphia, where he would have his first joint rally with Harris. There were Secret Service operatives ready to take him under their protective wing.