Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appears to be on the short list of vice presidential nominees for the Kamala Harris campaign, assuming she receives the Democratic nomination to run for president.
MSNBC reporter Kyle Griffin is reporting that five Democrats have submitted vetting materials to the Harris campaign as potential VP picks. They include North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Walz.
It's been reported that Whitmer may not be interested in being the pick for VP and wants to remain in Michigan. She will become co-chair of Harris' campaign however.
Walz, speaking on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar Tuesday, wouldn't answer her question about potentially being the pick for vice president on the Democrat's ticket.
"At this time, we're not saying anything or releasing anything about that," Walz said.
Walz confirmed that he has talked with Harris since Joe Biden ended his campaign on Sunday.
"I did speak with the vice president on Sunday and not sharing a lot of details, other than that we have a shared value that the policies that President Biden, and now soon to be President Harris are espousing, are good for Minnesota and good for the Midwest," explained Walz.
The Minnesota governor would not say if he would accept the job as running mate if was offered. But he did say he would do whatever he's asked to help secure the White House for the Democrats.
"It's a hypothetical, I would think that someone was punking me to start with," Walz told WCCO's Susie Jones. "And then look, I'm just trying to do the best I can. What I am excited about, to be candid, is most of the folks being talked about are Democratic governors. As the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, I'm proud of that."
Walz was on FOX News Tuesday and called Harris a "better candidate" than Joe Biden. WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar asked Walz what he meant by that.
"There were concerns that can we get this message out there," Walz explained. "Now, many of us are saying, 'look, surrogates can help, but you really need to hear from the candidate themselves.' So I'm just thrilled to see the vice president bring that energy we saw yesterday and you know, it's working when they attack her for who she is. Not the policies, they attack her for being a woman or whatever else."
Walz is in the midst of his second term as governor and is the head of the Democratic Governor's Association and plays an important role in the national party's nominating process. Walz is the co-chair of the convention’s rules committee and will help determine how the new presidential candidate is chosen. This comes during a new and historic situation with Biden stepping aside so late in the race, long after voters in state primaries chose him to be the nominee.
Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey, as top Democrats rallied to her in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his bid for reelection. Biden will speak to the nation Wednesday evening and address his decision to leave the race.
The quick coalescing behind Harris marked an attempt by the party to put weeks of internecine drama over Biden’s political future behind them and to unify behind the task of defeating Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day. Prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly lined up behind Harris in the day after Biden’s exit from the race and her campaign set a new 24-hour record for presidential donations on Monday.
Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California. By Monday night, Harris had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot, according to the AP tally. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP.
Still, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago.
Harris, in a statement, responded to the AP tally, saying she is “grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people."
Harris was headed to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday as her campaign for the White House kicks into high gear. The event in Milwaukee will be her first full-fledged campaign event since announcing her candidacy.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.