Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz talks Kamala Harris, nomination process and if he’d like to be vice president

MINNEAPOLIS — Since President Biden ended his reelection bid Sunday, Vice President Harris has already damaged a fundraising file, locked down tons of of delegates and secured important endorsements in her efforts to develop into the Democratic Social gathering’s nominee for president. A kind of key endorsements contains Minnesota’s governor.

Gov. Tim Walz, who’s chair of the Democratic Nationwide Conference guidelines committee, instructed WCCO’s Esme Murphy on Monday night time that the nomination course of will probably be open to different candidates.

“Anyone can run,” Walz stated of the nomination course of. “This Wednesday we’ll set the principles. There will probably be three days after that, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week. Anybody who needs to can get 300 delegates. If you may get 300 delegates in your aspect, your identify will probably be put into nomination.”

Walz says, at that time, these being thought of for nomination will then have three days to make their case to delegates. On Aug. 1, the voting will start and whoever will get essentially the most votes and reaches the brink quantity turns into the social gathering’s nominee.

In keeping with Walz, nobody outdoors of Harris has but to place their hat into the ring.

“Everyone seems to be welcome,” he stated.

Walz, whom at the very least one different Minnesota Democrat has floated as a potential vice presidential candidate, was requested if he’s being thought of for the function.  

“I have no idea that,” he stated. “I spoke to the vice chairman on Sunday, shortly after the announcement by President Biden, and she or he simply made it clear that she needs to earn the endorsement.”

Walz is amongst different Democrats being floated as potential choices, together with Gov. Josh Shapiro of swing state Pennslyvania and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, which has been a reliably Republican state in presidential elections.

However does the two-term governor, who has seen progressive wins with Democrats in charge of the state legislature, need to be vice chairman?

“I do not suppose you flip down a job that you have not been supplied, however I’ve one of the best job on the planet in being the governor of Minnesota,” Walz stated.

He says Harris’s record-breaking fundraising on Monday is proof of small donors’ and voters’ enthusiasm for the brand new possible Democratic nominee.  

Walz spoke with the media on Tuesday morning at an occasion saying a $200 million grant from the Environmental Safety Company to assist scale back the carbon footprint of the state’s meals system. When requested by reporters if he was being vetted as a potential vice presidential nominee, he reiterated that he had spoken with Harris and instructed her that he would “be there to do something [he] can do to assist,” however did not go into any additional particulars.

“I am not going to speak in regards to the specifics that had been in on that, and at this time limit we’re simply going to depart it at that,” he stated.

However when a reporter famous that his identify was being floated as a contender, Walz laughed and stated “I’ve seen it on the market and it is a little bit bizarre!”

He famous that Harris was a “nice candidate,” and that he feels a “burst of vitality” within the marketing campaign.

“There’s a number of pleasure. I feel issues have modified when Donald Trump was tweeting at me right this moment, in order that tells me possibly we have modified the dialogue in America.”

Trump did point out the governor on his Reality Social account on Tuesday, criticizing Fox Information for having Walz on one in all their applications.

Walz has been showing on nationwide cable information this cycle as a marketing campaign messenger for the one-time Biden marketing campaign, and now the Harris marketing campaign.