On July 17, US Senator JD Vance became Donald Trump's running mate. On August 6, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz became Kamala Harris' running mate. But why were they picked out of several nominees?
YNH has covered Trump's decision in several articles, and we have repeatedly said who the top contenders were. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and US Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Scott were the other top contenders. But why was Vance picked? Armaan Dhawan explained in this article that JD Vance is "quite popular with the public" and that his ideals are aligned with Trump.
On the other hand, there were three top contenders to Harris' choice: US Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Walz. Before the announcement, many mainstream news sources predicted that Josh Shapiro would be her running mate due to his immense popularity in an increasingly Republican state. However, Walz was picked. Why? For starters, Walz has also won a right-leaning congressional district, Minnesota's 1st. He was also in the military and a schoolteacher and football coach, so it is speculated that Harris chose him because he is familiar with the working class, a group she is trying to reach out to.
Timothy Walz is 60 years old. He has been the 41st Governor of Minnesota since 2019 and is serving his 2nd term. He served in the House of Representatives for 12 years. He was in the US Army National Guard for 24 years. He is currently a part of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesotan Democratic affiliate.
Walz has also called Trump and other Republicans "weird," and many Democrats have used this as a line of attack.
As the election draws closer and closer (it's already August! OMG!), the race draws more suspense. Who will win? According to Trump and Harris, it may just hinge on their running mates.
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