WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday as her vice-presidential running mate, after an unprecedented selection process that compressed the usual weeks-long vetting into barely a month.
Walz got the nod over Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Associated Press announced Tuesday. The three contenders made it to the final interviews with Harris on Sunday.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Harris selecciona al Gob. de Minnesota Tim Walz como compañero de fórmula dejando al Sen. de Arizona Mark Kelly al lado, según AP
Harris and Walz will embark on a cross-country barnstorming tour through seven battleground states that starts Tuesday in Philadelphia. A Phoenix rally for Harris and Walz is scheduled for Friday evening.
Harris released the following statement:
"I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Governor Tim Walz to be my running mate. One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It's personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election."
It's unclear whether Kelly will take part in the rally. The location hasn’t been announced.
The 60-year-old Kelly, the son of New Jersey police officers, has a golden resume seemingly crafted for national politics.
He was a U.S. Navy combat pilot who flew 39 missions during the Gulf War and twice commanded NASA Space Shuttle. He would have been the first astronaut on a presidential ticket.
Kelly emerged as a national figure after an assassination attempt in 2011 that nearly took the life of his wife, then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords of Tucson.
The nation was gripped by Giffords' painstaking, at times public, recovery from a devastating gunshot wound. Giffords and Kelly would go on to become leading advocates on gun-safety issues.
In 2019, after some nudges from national Democrats, Kelly took the plunge into politics. The late Sen. John McCain’s seat was up for election in 2020.
Politically, Kelly is a moderate Democrat who has won two U.S. Senate elections in the last four years in a key swing state.
As a border state senator, Kelly could have provided a buffer for Harris’ and Democrats’ toughest issue: how to deal with the migrant surge at the border.
Immigration ranks as one of the top issues for voters nationwide.
Kelly has been outspoken in his criticism of the Biden Administration’s border policy. The president’s decision to end Title 42 was “dumb,” Kelly said.
Kelly has attacked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for “tanking” the bipartisan border security bill negotiated in the U.S. Senate.
Kelly’s ability to deliver Arizona's 11 electoral votes was an open question.
Kelly lives in Tucson, outside the state’s largest media market, in Maricopa County. He ran statewide against two Republican opponents who were considered relatively weak.
Kelly proved to be a prolific fund-raiser: $100 million in each of the two campaigns.
If Harris was looking for a running mate to serve as an attack dog, Kelly could be serviceable.
But the former pilot and astronaut was no match for Shapiro, a former prosecutor, or the folksy Walz.
Kelly’s possible ascension to the second-highest job in the land would have come with a risky downside for Arizona Democrats, as well as Democratic Senate leadership concerned with controlling the chamber.
If Kelly had to leave the Senate in 2025 to become vice president, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would have had to appoint a Democratic successor. Under state law, a special election to fill the remainder of Kelly's term would have been set for 2026.
Despite Democrats' recent success statewide in mid-term elections, they remain a challenge.
Delegates will formally nominate Walz as vice president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from Aug. 19-22.
Early voting in Arizona for the November general election starts in 66 days, on Oct. 11.
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