Vice President Kamala Harris has named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election. It was first reported by CNN's Jim Acosta Tuesday morning.
Walz will be officially introduced by Harris at a campaign rally Tuesday night at Temple University in Philadelphia.
The two will then embark on a coast-to-coast trip to so-called "swing states" that includes an appearance on Wednesday in Eau Claire, Wisc.
The announcement comes barely a month after President Joe Biden announced that he was dropping his re-election campaign and endorsing Harris to succeed him in the White House.
At that time, Walz was not well-known among national political experts, although as chair of the Democratic Governor's Association, he had been supportive of Biden staying in the race despite a horrendous performance in a debate against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Since it became clear that Harris would be the Democrats' nominee, Walz' star began to rise.
He was a regular on the Sunday morning network news programs, made appearances on a number of prominent podcasts, and set the tone for the confrontation between Harris and Trump by classifying Republicans and their presidential ticket as "weird."
That word became a catch phrase in the past week, even picked up by Harris during her stump speeches.
With Walz joining the ticket, things are expected to change dramatically in Minnesota.
"There will be a lot of people digging around to see what kind of governor he is," said WCCO political analyst Blois Olson. "And then, he'll be on the road, and I think it'll have these ideas, like 'where is he?' 'is he running the state?' 'how often is he here?'"
Walz would remain governor during the campaign, but a victory by the Harris ticket would mean a chain-reaction in the workings atop Minnesota's state government.
Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become governor, with Senate Democratic Leader Bobby Joe Champion would slide into her post.
University of Minnesota Political Science Professor Larry Jacobs said picking Walz makes sense for the run-up to the election and beyond.
"He's really attracted an enormous amount of national interest," he said. "The Harris campaign sees him as a tremendous asset, but also as a partner in governing."
Walz was barely a blip on the national scene when Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket, especially coming from a state that seemed somewhat safe when the votes are counted.
The early speculation centered around several other Democratic governors, Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro, Kentucky's Andy Beshear, and North Carolina's Roy Cooper.
Arizona US Senator Mark Kelly was also high on the early lists.
Pennsylvania and Arizona are among the key swing states that may determine who wins the White House in November.
But Walz and his folksy image soon became well-known to political followers, and things will only get more intense now that he's number two behind Harris.
"Less than 100 days of drama and intrigue here in Minnesota," said Olson.
Two Minnesotans have served as vice president, Hubert Humphrey under Lyndon Johnson and Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter.
In 2008, with John McCain as the Republican presidential nominee, then-Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty appeared ready to move in as his running mate.
Instead, McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who memorably accepted the role as running mate during a raucous speech at the RNC Convention in St. Paul.
Walz was re-elected to a second term as Minnesota's 41st governor in 2022, defeating former Republican state senator Scott Jensen.
He beat former Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson to win his first term in 2018.
Before that, he was a six-term congressman representing Minnesota's first district, which covers the southern portion of the state along the border with Iowa.
Walz has been lauded for recent accomplishments in St. Paul, including free meals for public school students and a wide-reaching bonding bill.
That came as Walz gave Minnesota government a "hat trick" of Democratic majorities in both the state House and state Senate.
Minnesota at the time was the only state to have a split legislature.
But he has received criticism for the state's response to the violence in reaction to the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, and he accepted responsibility after a report found his administration failed to stop what federal prosecutors call the biggest pandemic fraud case in the nation.