The inside story of how Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz

Kamala Harris had two weeks to make one of the most important decisions of her life. Here's why she picked Tim Walz — and not Josh Shapiro or Mark Kelly.

Vice President Kamala Harris had just 16 days to pick someone she could be linked to forever. She ended up going with one of the options that she — and the rest of the world — knew the least. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was a dark horse from the start, left off early lists of potential running mates. But no one used the 16 days since President Joe Biden stepped aside more effectively than Walz, who charmed Harris and national Democrats alike with a Diet Mountain Dew-fueled media tour that labeled the opposition as “weird” and won him a spot in history.

The choice will leave an indelible imprint on the image of Harris that is still forming for many Americans, who know her far less than they do Biden or former President Donald Trump, raising the stakes of a choice that can be difficult in the best of times, let alone under unprecedented time pressure.

In Walz, a gun-owning hunter who enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17, Harris sees a loyal governing partner who complements her background. The governor does not typically use a teleprompter, so had to practice with one Tuesday before his big speech at his debut rally in Philadelphia.

Harris did not know any of the candidates very well just three weeks ago. But after she whittled down her final list to Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and held in-person interviews with them Sunday, Harris concluded she had the best personal rapport with Walz and was convinced that he would have her back and not let his personal ambitions get in the way.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/story-kamala-harris-chose-tim-walz-rcna163290

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