by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch | The Hill
Vice President Harris is “bringing the joy back” to politics.
That’s according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, newly named to the Harris presidential ticket. The two kicked off their joint campaign Tuesday night at a rally in Philadelphia, drawing a boisterous crowd just hours after Harris announced her choice and injecting another push of momentum into her breakneck campaign for the presidency.
Harris and Walz spoke in front of a crowd of roughly 10,000 people, the largest audience this cycle for either Harris or President Biden when he was a candidate.
Walz, a former Army National Guard reservist and member of the House, has been Minnesota’s governor since 2019. Initially considered a dark horse for the VP slot, Walz saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird,” a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats. His accomplishments in Minnesota — access to reproductive health, paid leave, child tax credits and gun safety — mirror goals central to Harris’s bid for the presidency.
In Philadelphia, Harris made clear the stakes of the election.
We are the underdogs in this race, but we have the momentum and I know exactly what we are up against,” Harris said.
- The Hill: Here are five things to know about Walz.
- The New York Times: Walz was reelected in Minnesota five times, winning over moderate and independent voters and remaining popular among constituents even as former President Trump won his district in 2016 by 15 points. During his years in the House, Walz was regarded as among the most bipartisan legislators.
- Politico: Here’s where Walz stands on abortion, unions, energy and more.
- The Hill: Where Walz stood on tax cuts in Congress.
- The Hill: This is how Harris made the choice for Walz.
The governor used the rally to introduce himself to the country, but he also appeared to relish the role of taking on Trump.
“That’s what this election is about. What direction will this country go in? Donald Trump would damn sure take us backwards, let’s be clear about that,” Walz said.
“Make no mistake. Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. And that’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” he added, a swipe at the former president’s 34 felony convictions and other charges. “You know it, you feel it. These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell.”
Walz is scheduled to appear with Harris in coming days in each of the seven most competitive states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. The extent to which Walz will help her is up in the air, but there’s no question the vice president has been riding an upward swing in the polls since Biden ended his reelection bid late last month and endorsed her.
In the national polling average tracked by The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Harris and Trump are nearly tied, with Trump winning 47.1 percent support and Harris at 47 percent. Trump initially was up by more than 6 points when Harris declared her candidacy.
