Kamala Harris Taps Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to Join Democratic Ticket

  • 2 months ago
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has picked former schoolteacher-turned-Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to join the Democratic ticket in the race for the White House. Walz brings to the table executive and military experience, as well as a track record of winning over rural, white voters, a demographic which has gravitated towards Republican candidate Donald Trump over the years.
Transcript
00:00A roaring crowd in Philadelphia as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage for
00:09the first time with her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
00:14Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build
00:21this brighter future.
00:23So Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader.
00:29A U.S. Army National Guard veteran and former member of Congress, Walz began as a school
00:34teacher, also spending about a year teaching in China.
00:38When he turned to politics, he became known for winning over rural white voters, a demographic
00:44that over the years has leaned towards Republican candidate Donald Trump.
00:48Now Walz is coming into his VP nomination swinging, restating a view that his Republican
00:54rivals are, simply put, odd.
00:57I just have to say it.
00:58You know it.
00:59You feel it.
01:00These guys are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell.
01:03And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump.
01:11That's not even counting the crimes he committed.
01:16Even before Walz was shortlisted as a VP pick, the Minnesota governor was branding Trump
01:21and Republican VP candidate J.D. Vance as, quote, weird, a tagline that went viral on
01:27social media.
01:29The message added onto Harris' early campaigning momentum, having raked in a record-breaking
01:34over 300 million U.S. dollars just in July, since being catapulted to the top of the Democratic
01:40ticket after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign.
01:46Meanwhile, also in Philadelphia, Vance is extending his jabs at Harris to Walz, calling
01:53them both dangerously liberal.
01:55He is the double-down choice for failed leadership.
01:58And again, Kamala Harris selected him.
02:00I don't know why, but I think it's because she's fundamentally a radical herself and
02:04she wanted to partner in crime.
02:06Both Vance and Walz said they're willing to debate one another, an event still up in the
02:11air for their presidential candidates after Trump pulled out of a scheduled September
02:15debate on ABC, a major U.S. network saying he'd only face Harris in a debate hosted by
02:21Fox News, a conservative-leaning channel.
02:25With time ticking in an unprecedented election season, stakes are high for both parties.
02:30In these final 90 days, I think both sides have to be worried about everything.
02:35There is no way that over the course of the last month we would have expected what we
02:39have seen.
02:40We wouldn't have expected a debate performance like Joe Biden had.
02:43We wouldn't have expected an assassination attempt.
02:45We wouldn't have expected a sitting president to decide that he's not seeking re-election.
02:50And we wouldn't have expected J.D. Vance to emerge initially as so compelling a figure
02:55in politics and fall so quickly.
02:58So I would be very, very nervous on both sides of the aisle.
03:01There's no telling what can happen.
03:03With 90 days to go, the new Democratic ticket, Harris and Walz, will be making their way
03:10through critical swing states, including Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada, while the Republican competition
03:16works to do the same as the race for the White House heats up.
03:20Dolphine Chen and Joyce Sun for Taiwan Plus.

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