Harris Chooses Tim Walz As Running Mate; Former U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn Weighs In

Likely presidential nominee Kamala Harris completed the top of the Democratic ticket Tuesday, formally selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her potential vice president. Walz flew to Philadelphia where the two appeared at a rally Tuesday evening for the first time as running mates.

The process of selecting a running mate typically plays out over many months. But Harris, who abruptly moved to the top of the ticket when President Biden announced his withdrawal from the race last month didn't have months, she had barely two weeks to narrow down and vet possible candidates.

In recent days, it appeared that three favorites had emerged: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Walz, with the Minnesota governor perhaps the underdog.

"I think a lot of people were surprised," former Oklahoma 5th District Congresswoman Kendra Horn said Tuesday in a Zoom interview.

But Horn notes Harris had quite a few very good options, also including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. She says Walz brings experience to the ticket that could help Harris in some parts of the country, notably a rural upbringing, midwestern values, and military service.

"He grew up in rural Nebraska, he was in the Army for 24 years, the highest noncommissioned officer to serve in the House of Representatives," said Horn. "He was a teacher, a coach, a member of Congress that represented a very purple district. He worked across the aisle a lot and now has experience governing a state. And I think [VP Harris] probably valued all of those things."

The 60-year-old, 6-term Congressman and two-term governor may be popular in Minnesota, but polling shows that most Americans don't know him. That's something the Harris campaign hopes to change during a battleground state swing that starts with the rally in Philadelphia.

Horn says she doesn't know Walz personally but that many former colleagues of hers do, and she believes he has the civility and compassion that Oklahomans would appreciate.

"I think what they call 'Minnesota nice' is probably just the Oklahoma Standard," Horn said. "I think he can relate to so many people in this state and across the country."

But the Trump campaign, seeking to capitalize on the public's current lack of knowledge about Walz, quickly attacked him as being "dangerously liberal" and a "West Coast wannabe."

"Now we have Tim Walz," Trump running mate JD Vance told reporters Tuesday, "but again, most importantly, we have Kamala Harris; her policies have been a disaster and will remain so if the American people give her a promotion."

Former Congresswoman Horn says the Trump campaign's attacks are to be expected and are meant to distract from the fact that they have yet to articulate how they would address any of the issues that truly matter to working Americans.

"I'm ready for a conversation about real issues," Horn concluded. "I'm really tired of finger-pointing and name-calling -- from any party -- and treating other people as the enemy. I want to see somebody stand up and talk about our values and how we get there and real solutions, not just schoolyard bullying language."