Tim Walz sat across the table from Kamala Harris’ vetting team for the biggest interview of his life. Harris was undecided on who She will be his running mate. The conversation that followed ultimately convinced Harris’s team to pick Walz. Walz said, “I’m in the last leg of my career. This isn’t about me. This is about America’s working families,” Politico reports. No one could have imagined a Harris-Walz ticket.
The discussion was started by Minnesota Representative Betty McCollum. People smiled or even laughed at that time. But when Harris reached the middle of the stage, McCollum and her colleagues began to rally behind Walz. They were whispering everywhere, “He’s a good man”. After Harris interviewed Walz, their dream finally came true.
Walz was the person Harris was looking for. But how did Walz pass the interview?
What Tim Walz said to Kamala Harris in the interview
He said he has no ambitions to become president. “And if I have to hit a brick wall, if I have to do hard things, I’m willing to do that because I’m not interested in anything else,” Walz said.
He said one more thing. According to CNN’s report, he did not use a teleprompter and did not have one with him. If they wanted him to use it, he would have to get it for them.
He also shared his weaknesses, saying that he is not from a swing state and is not popular in the US. He also said that he is not a good debater.
But, he was a team player. He did what he was told. He was asked if he would like to be the last person in the room before Harris made the call. He said only if she wanted him to do so.
“He had a very clear understanding that this was about, in addition to being a partner, supporting the president, going out and engaging with the US and being that governing partner,” Cedric Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman and Biden White House adviser, told CNN.
Walz has been a football coach, a soldier, a high school teacher and a Democratic congressman from a Republican district. Easygoing, friendly and conscientious. Tim Walz is exactly what Harris was looking for.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was a supporter of Israel. Many people did not like that. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly was not a favorite of labor leaders. No one disliked Walz.
Walz is a progressive, team player and a good person
Walz won rural areas. Harris won San Francisco. He became popular when he called Republicans “weirdos” on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“Progressives see her as a trustworthy person. She has bipartisan credibility that liberals respect,” said one person involved in the vice presidential selection process.
“He would be very surprised and excited to be the vice presidential nominee. He would not be able to beat Kamala Harris,” said Rep. Ann Kuster, a Democrat representing New Hampshire.
“He is the commander in chief and that is how he will govern with them.”
Walz had many supporters, even Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi heaped praise on Walz, sources close to her told Politico. She also told Walz not to “ignore” him, the sources said.
“I made that point early on in the process,” said Democratic Rep. Mark Takano of California.
Teacher Walz received the support of the National Labor Front. United Auto Workers Union leader Shawn Frain has been vocal about his support for Walz. He even said this on TV.
Randi Weingarden, president of the American Federation of Teachers, also endorsed Walz.
By choosing someone “who wasn’t from the coastal region, but from the middle of the country” and “outspoken,” Harris “sent the message that the working class is important,” Weingarden said.
The Democrats needed someone with rural roots, Harris needed a running mate who wouldn’t question her authority, the Labor Party needed someone who understood them, progressives needed someone who didn’t openly support Israel, and all of these prayers were answered in the form of Tim Walz.