After weeks of speculation, Governor Tim Walz was named Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ vice president ahead of a campaign event Tuesday evening at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in North Philadelphia.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @timwalz to be my running mate,” Harris said in a social media post this morning. “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.”
The rest of Harris’ announcement is below:
Shapiro released a statement expressing his support for Harris and Walz, adding that he looks forward to campaigning for the ticket across the commonwealth.
“As I’ve said repeatedly over the past several weeks, the running mate decision was a deeply personal decision for the Vice President — and it was also a deeply personal decision for me,” he said in the statement. “Pennsylvanians elected me to a four-year term as their Governor, and my work here is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for the good people of this Commonwealth.”
Shapiro is expected to speak at tonight’s rally.
My work here in Pennsylvania is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for our Commonwealth.
Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat… pic.twitter.com/Mkc1isQTo9
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) August 6, 2024
The university announced its plans to host the event on Friday, August 2, according to a press release. Former President Donald Trump had a rally at the same arena earlier this summer. The center is on Temple’s campus but is operated by a third party.
Harris had recently narrowed her search for a running mate to two finalists: Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and Governor Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro, 51, was described as a “polished communicator who has built up a political brand of bipartisanship” by the Philadelphia Inquirer in July after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Representative Madeleine Dean of Glenside expressed her support yesterday for a Shapiro vice presidency during an appearance on MSNBC.
In a message to supporters late on Monday, Harris said she had yet to make her decision.
“I know many of you are eager to find out who I will be selecting to join me on the campaign trail, and hopefully in the White House, as my Vice President,” she wrote.
Tonight’s event serves as the kickoff of a multistate campaign tour that has scheduled stops in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, according to the White House.
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