ADDS BIDEN’S COMMENTS, BACKGROUND
By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - US Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential race.
"I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team," Harris wrote on X.
Walz’s nomination comes after Harris won enough Democratic convention delegates last week to secure the party's presidential nomination.
Walz, 60, is a former teacher and member of the US Army National Guard.
He said it is "the honor of a lifetime" to join Harris on the campaign.
"I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us," he wrote on X.
After President Joe Biden’s recent decision not to seek reelection Nov. 5 and his offer of "full support and endorsement" for Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee, she officially launched her presidential campaign.
Harris and Walz are expected to make their first campaign appearance at a rally in the city of Philadelphia later Tuesday.
Biden said Harris made a "great decision" choosing Walz as a running mate.
"The Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America's great middle class. They will be the strongest defenders of our personal freedoms and our democracy. And they will ensure that America continues to lead the world and play its role as the indispensable nation," he wrote on X.
Walz won his first election to the US House of Representatives in 2006 and was reelected five additional terms to sever the first congressional district in southern Minnesota.
He is the state’s 41st governor, who was initially elected in 2018 and won reelection in 2022.
* Diyar Guldogan from Washington contributed to this story