Why Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz, per her ex-media chief

Walz Harris Jamal Simmons

...

Alia Shoaib

By Alia Shoaib

Reporter

See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate because he is a solid and reliable choice, her former communications director said.

Jamal Simmons told CNN on Tuesday: "I think she went for maybe a little more of a cuddly choice, right, like maybe somebody who everybody is going to like, make everyone feel safe."

Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced Walz as her running mate on social media on Tuesday, shortly after CNN and the AP broke the news.

Read More on Politics

Walz Harris Jamal Simmons

...

"As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his," she wrote.

The pick ends two weeks of speculation, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly reportedly the other front-runners.

"What I'll say about him, I've been asking some of my Democratic friends what they think and you hear terms like 'good guy,' 'solid,' 'reliable.' He's somebody who I think brings together people," Simmons said about Walz.

Simmons said that the pick shed some light on how Harris is making decisions.

"I think that if you look at her career, here's somebody who was a local official, she was a DA. She was a statewide official, a federal, a senator. She moved up very methodically through the political process. She likes order," he said.

"I think this is a choice that reinforces that. It says not only are we going to go out and win this election, I'm going to have a governing partner that can help me govern this country."

Walz was something of a dark horse as a vice presidential candidate. He was not initially considered to be a front-runner but in recent weeks gained prominence after he labeled former President Donald Trump and his Republican running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, "weird guys."

The attack line was seized upon by Harris's campaign and other Democrats, and appeared to be effective in generating media attention and sparking Republican ire.

Photos have since spread on social media of Walz cuddling a pig, carving a school bus out of butter at a state fair, and being embraced by children—adding to his "cuddly" image, as Simmons described.

Walz has been hailed by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party for implementing policies such as universal free school meals for children, paid family and medical leave, and an expansion of the child tax credit in Minnesota.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, previously expressed support for Walz to be selected, saying he understands the "needs of working families."

Walz also has the support of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who dismissed suggestions that he was a very left-wing candidate while appearing on MSNBC on Tuesday.

"To characterize him as left is so unreal. He's right down the middle. He's a heartland-of-America Democrat," she said.

While Minnesota is not considered to be a competitive state, Walz's midwestern background could help win votes in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.