(Washington) Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, marking a major step forward since she became the Democratic candidate in November’s presidential election. The governor also has a strong background in Canada-U.S. relations.
“As a governor, coach, teacher and veteran, he served working families like his own,” Mr.me Harris on the X platform.
Kamala Harris officially clinched the Democratic nomination on Monday and is expected to attend a rally with Walz in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The main interested party said that it was the honor of his life to join the presidential campaign.
“I’m throwing myself into it body and soul!” Mr. Walz said in a message on social networks.
The search for a vice presidential candidate began just two weeks ago, after President Joe Biden withdrew as a candidate due to concerns about his age and mental acuity. He immediately endorsed Mme Harris to take over.
In the turbulent days that followed, Tim Walz gained national attention for his television appearances and was recognized as the father of the increasingly popular Democratic argument that their Republican opponents are “just weird.”
A good understanding of Canada-US relations
Mr. Walz is already well known at the Canadian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Minnesota, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States.
He “knows Canada well,” she said.
Mr. Walz, 60, is a veteran, retired educator and union supporter whose state shares an 885-kilometer border with Canada.
“With the experience of Mr. Walz and Mr.me Harris in Canada, these are two people who will have a good understanding of the relationship between the two countries,” said Matthew Lebo, a specialist in American politics at Western University in London, Ontario.
Kamala Harris, who lived in Montreal as a teenager, is expected to be guided by Mr. Biden’s road map for steering the U.S.-Canada relationship.
PHOTO LM OTERO, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kamala Harris
Mr. Biden’s tenure has been described as more stable than his predecessor’s, in terms of U.S.-Canada relations, but at the same time not unlike that of former President Donald Trump’s administration, which forced a renegotiation of the old North American Free Trade Agreement.
The treaty was replaced by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, which the Canadian government hailed as a success, but to which Mme Harris objected, saying it wasn’t doing enough to protect American workers or the environment.
Mr Trump has also introduced billions of dollars worth of tariffs, particularly on Chinese imports, and has threatened to impose more if he wins a second term.
Mr. Lebo believes it is likely that Tim Walz understands the value of trade between Canada and the United States.
The Business Council of Canada website describes the country’s relationship with Minnesota as more than just a shared love of hockey. Business ties are strong, particularly in energy and agriculture.
“Ontario and Minnesota do billions of dollars in bilateral trade each year. We agreed on the need to protect and grow our strong economic ties, including our growing agriculture and energy sectors,” Premier Doug Ford said on social media after Walz’s visit to Queen’s Park in June.
A “Canadian” temperament
Mr. Walz also appears “Canadian” in temperament and values, Mr. Lebo observed.
“Minnesota is perhaps the state that most resembles Canada,” the professor said.
As an elected official, Tim Walz also pushed social policies to align with those of the current Canadian government.
Mr. Walz and his fellow lawmakers eliminated nearly all state restrictions on abortion, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalized recreational marijuana use, Mr. Lebo said.
Minnesota Democrats also funded free school lunches for children and made public college tuition free for students from families earning less than $80,000 a year. Walz has been praised for devoting public funds to health insurance coverage, regardless of a person’s immigration status.
Mr. Lebo speculated that Walz could be criticized for his response to protests after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 and for his administration’s oversight of some programs during the pandemic.
The governor, with his “Minnesota guy” demeanor, could help build an important bridge between Democrats and voters in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Mr. Trump won those states in 2016 and they flipped to Mr. Biden in 2020.
Harris’ decision to choose Walz as her running mate shows she is seeking more white votes, Lebo said. There were concerns she would have less success with those voters than Joe Biden, he said, who could be key to a Democratic victory.
“She was looking for someone who could appeal to independent voters,” Lebo said.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance criticized M’s new running mateme Harris, who was labeled a far-left liberal by Donald Trump’s campaign team.
“It shows how radical Kamala Harris is,” Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said Tuesday.
With information from Associated Press.