Kamala Harris selects Minnesota governor Tim Walz as running mate, sources confirm

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Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the upcoming election, according to multiple sources familiar with her decision. The announcement is expected to be made in the coming hours before the pair appear together at a rally in Philadelphia.

Harris, who recently secured the Democratic presidential nomination, had been considering a shortlist of potential candidates including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Walz. The final decision to select Walz was confirmed by sources who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the announcement.

The announcement is planned to be made via a video message before Harris and Walz take the stage together at the Philadelphia rally, though the exact timing is still to be confirmed.

Harris secured the Democratic presidential nomination late Monday, becoming the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket. This milestone was achieved following a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention delegates, with 99% of delegates casting their votes for Harris. The party will formally certify the vote and hold a celebratory roll call at its convention later this month in Chicago.

Harris’s rapid ascent to the nomination came after President Joe Biden’s unexpected withdrawal from the race in June. Following Biden’s exit, Harris and her team swiftly mobilized to secure the necessary backing from 1,976 delegates, achieving this goal just 32 hours after Biden’s announcement, according to an Associated Press survey of delegates nationwide.

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Gary P Hernal

Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.