Hours after being named as Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz introduced himself to American voters Tuesday with a forceful speech at a Philadelphia rally in which he sought to portray the Democratic ticket as full of optimism and “joy.” At a rally at Temple University, Walz was introduced by the woman who selected him as her prospective vice president.
Harris, the current vice president touted his military service, his years spent as a teacher and a high school football coach, his vote in Congress to help pass the Affordable Care Act, his signing a law that codified abortion rights in Minnesota after the Supreme Court struck down and his expansion of gun restrictions in that state. Harris told the audience that Walz, who served in Congress from 2007 to 2019 before being elected governor in 2019, “will be ready on day one.” Comparing Walz and former President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance, she added, was “like a match-up between the varsity team and the JV squad.
” Here are the key takeaways from Walz’s speech: When she wasn’t speaking about Walz, Harris stuck to her standard stump speech, portraying herself as a former prosecutor and former attorney general who was familiar with what she said were criminal types like Trump. But Walz also used Tuesday’s speech before a large audience to try to introduce optimistic contours to that bio. “Thank you Madam Vice President for the trust you put in me, but, maybe moreso, thank you for .