WASHINGTON — Today, Will Marshall, President of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), issued the following statement in response to Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate:
“Vice President Kamala Harris has made her first major decision since becoming the Democrats’ presumptive nominee – and it’s a good one. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is something you won’t find anywhere on the Republican ticket: A seasoned veteran of public service who knows how to bring Americans together and get things done.
“Gov. Walz brings the pragmatic perspective of Middle America to the Democratic ticket. He was a high school teacher and coach, a U.S. military veteran, and a former Member of Congress representing rural Minnesota. Now he’s a very popular Midwest governor in his second term, with a solid record of governing success under his belt.
“Throughout his career, Gov. Walz has shown a knack for winning the trust and votes of rural and working class voters. He flipped a swing district to win his House seat. In Congress, he stood out as a consistent public champion of the economic aspirations and moral outlook of ordinary working Americans.
“Nearly 15 years ago, as a junior member of Congress, he called for comprehensive deficit reduction, emphasizing the need to get our fiscal house in order — a vision that, if heeded, would have positioned us better today.
“Gov. Walz is a builder. As governor, he’s launched major infrastructure projects and called for permitting reform to ensure Minnesotans get access to better roads, schools and clean energy soon rather than the distant future.
“Harris’s choice of Gov. Walz to be her running mate contrasts favorably with Donald Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. The callow Vance is an insult artist who adds little but a second troll to Trump’s ticket.
“Gov. Walz is a proven and radically pragmatic leader whose record shows he knows how to make American democracy work.”
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org
