Kamala Harris Taps Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Running Mate

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for U.S. President, has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

Walz has been the governor of Minnesota for five years, after previously serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, he was a schoolteacher and a non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard. He does not appear to have made any public statements about cryptocurrencies during his tenure, though he did receive (and later return) a $4,000 donation from former FTX engineering director Nishad Singh in the 2022 election cycle.

He also signed a law earlier this year targeting crypto kiosks, setting a $2,000 daily limit and offering fraud protections.

Harris’ choice Tuesday sets up November’s election, as the pair run against former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance. Trump and Vance have both sought to appeal to the crypto community, including through a keynote speech at last month’s Bitcoin Nashville conference.

A prediction market on Polymarket expected Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to get the vice presidential nod, giving him a roughly two-thirds chance of being the nominee until Monday afternoon when Walz’s odds began surging.

In a statement, Harris said, “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. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”

UPDATE (Aug. 6, 2024, 14:45 UTC): Adds Harris statement.