Michigan Dems welcome ‘fellow Midwesterner’ Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ VP

“As a fellow Midwesterner and governor, I know firsthand that [Walz’s] leadership is an important asset to this ticket,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He’ll be an excellent partner for Kamala Harris, and I’ll do everything I can to get them elected.”

MICHIGAN—Elected Democrats across Michigan are throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to select Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, touting Walz as a “fellow midwesterner” who will stand up for Michiganders in the White House.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was briefly considered to be Harris’ running mate in the weeks leading up to this week’s decision, was among the first to celebrate the news this week.

“As a fellow Midwesterner and governor, I know firsthand that [Walz’s] leadership is an important asset to this ticket,” Whitmer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He’ll be an excellent partner for Kamala Harris, and I’ll do everything I can to get them elected.”

US Sen. Debbie Stabenow also said that Walz will make for a “wonderful” vice president.

“Tim Walz is a dedicated leader from the Great Lakes states who works tirelessly for families,” Stabenow said. “He brings people together and it shows in his accomplishments. With his commitment and experience, he’ll be a wonderful partner to our next POTUS Kamala Harris.”

Within just a few hours of the announcement, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, and US Reps. Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, Elissa Slotkin, Haley Stevens, and Shri Thanedar also voiced support for Harris’ decision to pick Walz. 

Walz is a former football coach, high school teacher, and military veteran who was born and raised in a small farming town in Nebraska. As governor, Walz worked with Democratic lawmakers to make school meals free for all students, create a paid family and medical leave program, boost funding for public schools, legalize recreational weed, make abortion a fundamental right under state law in Minnesota, and a whole lot of other accomplishments.

In recent weeks, Walz has also emerged as one of the most effective critics of the Republican Party—including as the first high-level elected official to call the Trump-Vance ticket “weird” and “strange,” a message that has since been adopted by wide swaths of the Democratic Party. 

“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s personal,” Harris wrote in a post on Instagram. “We are going to build a great partnership. We are going to build a great team. We are going to win this election.”

READ MORE: Who is Tim Walz? What to know about Kamala Harris’ pick for VP

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