The ‘Blue Walz’

 ## The 'Blue Waltz': How a Low-Key Midwestern Governor Rose to Become Harris' VP Pick

During his interview with Vice President Kamala Harris’ vetting team, Tim Walz shared an important detail: he doesn’t use a teleprompter. The Minnesota governor admitted he didn’t even own one. If chosen, he told Harris' team, they’d need to provide him with a teleprompter and teach him how to use it.

This lighthearted moment was part of a process that Walz navigated successfully, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting. Walz candidly discussed his vulnerabilities, acknowledging that he wasn’t from a swing state and wasn’t a household name. He also admitted he was a poor debater.

However, Walz emphasized his commitment to being a team player. When asked about his role as VP, Walz said he would perform the job according to Harris' wishes. When questioned if he wanted to be the last person in the room before Harris made a decision, he responded that he would only do so if she wanted him there.

When asked if he had ambitions to run for president one day, Walz said he did not. Sources noted that this point resonated with Harris' team, as they sought to minimize potential internal drama in a future Harris administration.

"He had a very clear understanding that his role was to be a partner, to support the president, connect with America, and be an effective governing partner," said Cedric Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman and Biden White House adviser deeply involved in the selection process. "It’s not the easiest of positions, but it’s a very important one."

The vetting interview was a crucial step for Walz, ultimately securing his selection after Harris met with the three finalists, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, for one-on-one interviews at her residence on Sunday.

“It was a home run,” said a source familiar with Walz’s meeting with Harris’ vetting team. “Everyone loved him.”

Beyond the personal chemistry, Harris and her team felt toward Walz, people familiar with the interview process said that Walz was seen as someone who could attract the kinds of voters Democrats have lost to Donald Trump—voters Harris might struggle to connect with on her own.

“He hunts, he fishes, you want to have a beer with him,” said the source. “He will resonate in Michigan, Wisconsin, Western Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.”

A longtime Democratic operative who has known Walz for years agreed, saying, “He talks and looks like a lot of the voters we’ve lost to Trump.”

By Tuesday, staffers at the Harris campaign headquarters were already joking about the “Blue Walz,” referencing the key Midwestern battleground states they hope he will help her secure.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democratic vice presidential candidate, share the stage during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A walk-on player

Shapiro, who was favored by some within the Democratic Party and anti-Trump Republicans as a more moderate choice, did not impress Harris' team during his vetting interview, according to sources familiar with the process. While Walz appeared deferential and cooperative, Shapiro came across as overly ambitious, posing "a lot of questions" about the VP role.

Although Shapiro performed "very well" in his face-to-face meeting with Harris on Sunday, multiple sources noted that Walz was viewed as a pick with less potential for drama and internal conflict—both on the campaign trail and, if successful in November, within the White House.

"There was a notable contrast between the two," said the source familiar with the meeting.

Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania, arrives at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, August 6th.

Walz was an unexpected contender to become the No. 2 on the Democratic ticket, barely mentioned among potential candidates when Joe Biden dropped out just over two weeks ago. However, sources familiar with the selection process described Walz as the walk-on player who was ultimately chosen over the five-star recruits. As a Midwestern governor, he was seen as a natural on the campaign trail, embodying the role of a "happy warrior."

A 24-year Army National Guard veteran and former high school teacher before entering politics, Walz brought a "joy and excitement" to the process that ultimately won Harris and her team over, according to another source.

Although Harris knew the least about Walz among her running mate options, he won over the Democratic nominee and her team by demonstrating his willingness to adapt to her style and policies.

Harris had not expected Walz to say he didn’t plan to run for president, a source familiar with her thinking told CNN. But as she sat around the dining room table at the Naval Observatory afterward, Walz’s answer resonated with her.

“That showed his willingness to say, ‘Look, I’m not concerned about my image or my approval rating or what’s next for me in the next chapter of life. I’m going to stay in this moment, be your vice president, run through walls, fight for the American people, and demonstrate our values,’” said Cedric Richmond. “That’s a strong and compelling argument.”

## 'At Ease and Very Natural'

The elevation of Tim Walz to the Democratic ticket was the culmination of a remarkable whirlwind, a capstone to a two-week campaign aimed first at catching the attention of Harris' team and then at winning over the vice president herself.

"He was at ease and very natural," said a senior Democratic adviser briefed on Walz’s face-to-face interview with Harris. "It was a ‘know-it-when-you-see-it’ type of thing."

While much of the attention around the vetting process focused on the efforts of former Attorney General Eric Holder and former White House counsel Dana Remus, the more probing questions began last Friday with video interviews for the candidates under consideration.

The Zoom calls also featured a previously secret three-person committee: Cedric Richmond, former Boston mayor and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

Richmond has become a top adviser to Harris. Walsh and Harris grew close during his tenure in the Biden administration. Cortez Masto was elected to the Senate the same year as Harris, and they had previously served as attorneys general together, collaborating on the landmark multistate mortgage settlement following the 2008 financial crisis.

The three-person group was selected for their geographic diversity, varied skill sets, and backgrounds. Most importantly, they were chosen because Harris trusted them to help determine whom she could trust, which many who know her acknowledge is often the hardest thing for Harris.

Richmond and Walsh, who transitioned from being elected officials to members of Biden’s administration, were there to help answer a critical question on Harris's mind after her own experience as vice president: “She wanted to make sure that we could ask questions like, ‘You’re going to go from being a principal to a hybrid principal/staffer. Can you make that transition?’” according to a source familiar with the process.

Of the nine candidates vetted and six who met virtually with the committee, Walz and Shapiro emerged as the clear favorites heading into the rushed final weekend, according to three people involved in the process. Kelly was included as a third option.

## 'It Wasn't Over the Top'

Walz gained widespread support from both progressive and moderate factions of the Democratic Party in a sophisticated campaign guided by some of the party’s most seasoned operatives. He had backing from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an old ally from his 12 years in Congress representing a rural Minnesota district, and praise from former President Barack Obama, who said in a statement on Tuesday, “He has the values and the integrity to make us proud.”

Obama also served as a “sounding board for Vice President Harris to talk through how she was thinking about it,” according to a senior aide.

As Walz gained traction online for his comment that Republicans were “weird,” Harris took notice.

“She likes the way he operates,” said a person involved in the process. “She liked how it became a thing then. It was funny, it was pointed, but it wasn’t over the top.”

While Harris and Walz had limited prior interaction—a fact that concerned some around Walz who feared it might hinder his chances—Harris's aides reported growing enthusiasm for how Walz conducted himself throughout the vetting process. A courtesy call between Harris and Walz on July 21, the same Sunday Biden announced his departure, initiated a formal vetting process that ultimately elevated Walz to the top of the finalist list.

During this period, many Democratic leaders viewed Shapiro as the frontrunner for Harris’ running mate. Extensive polling and focus groups conducted by the Harris campaign revealed little difference among the final contenders. However, two Democratic advisers close to the search process noted that Shapiro, who is Jewish, had become a focal point of controversy related to Gaza protests—a sensitive issue that Harris was reluctant to revisit, given its divisive impact on the Democratic Party throughout the 2024 campaign.

“Nobody wanted to rip that scab back open,” said one Democrat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details. Despite this, other sources close to the vetting process disputed the idea that the Gaza protests influenced Harris’ decision to choose Walz over Shapiro.

The more significant issue for Shapiro was his face-to-face meeting with Harris, where he asked “very specific” questions about the vice presidency, including the decisions he would be involved in making if elected.

“He was negotiating the job with her, while Walz was asking, ‘What can I do to help?’” said the Democratic adviser, noting that while Shapiro was undoubtedly a rising star in the party, he failed to connect with Harris in a way that was comfortable and fitting for the moment.

For Walz, the shift from being seen as a moderate Democrat—having won a Republican-leaning congressional district in 2006—to becoming a leading progressive governor impressed Harris and her team, highlighting his broad appeal.

Walz’s deferential style was a significant factor in his appeal to Harris, according to sources.

“She wanted to ensure that candidates understood there would be times when they would have significant influence and other times when they’d be informed of events only at the last minute,” said one person involved in the vetting process. “She emphasized that this is simply part of the job, and it’s crucial to be comfortable with that.”

## Donuts and a Teleprompter

Before Harris’ three interviews on Sunday with Walz, Shapiro, and Kelly, a panel of close advisers presented their findings and recommendations to Harris at her residence in the Naval Observatory.

Meanwhile, other senior campaign staff prepared videos, logos, and merchandise for the various candidates, unsure which way Harris would decide. They grappled with understanding the differences between the options and what each choice would mean for the campaign and for them.

Sources familiar with the process say Harris was initially leaning toward Walz after the Sunday meetings, but she remained conflicted until the end.

Harris took Sunday night to reflect, and by Monday, she was quietly narrowing in on Walz. She informed only a small group of advisers of her thoughts that evening, though she went to bed Monday morning without making any official decision.

Small teams of staffers were dispatched to be on-site for each of the final three options, none of them knowing what the day would bring when they woke up on Tuesday morning.

Speeches for Tuesday night’s rally in Philadelphia were prepared in advance for all the options.

When Harris finally made the call Tuesday morning, Walz was at home with his wife, two children, sister, and brother-in-law. He didn’t answer the first call from a blocked number, worried it might be from Harris.

She reached him on the second attempt.

Soon after Harris called to officially inform Walz that he was the chosen vice-presidential pick, he received his speech. Following a brief family celebration, Walz brought donuts to the staffers present with him and then joined a call with a larger group of staff to express his gratitude for their efforts.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia for their first joint rally on Tuesday, a source noted that Walz practiced using the teleprompter before stepping onto the stage for his speech.