Wednesday Briefing: Harris Picked a Running Mate

The presidential election is less than 100 days away. This is what we’re watching.

Vice President Kamala Harris yesterday named Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, a former football coach and schoolteacher who championed state-funded programs to support families, as her running mate.

Walz, 60, edged out better-known contenders for the job with his straight-talking style, which saw him declare Donald Trump and some other Republicans “weird” — a word that caught on fast.

“Walz’s ‘weird’ attack has delighted Democrats who have been looking for resonant attacks on Trump for eight years,” my colleague Jess Bidgood, who writes our On Politics newsletter, said. “Add in his rural background, his support of liberal policies like paid family leave and his merry sense of humor, and you have something most Democrats can be happy about in a moment when unity is seen as paramount.”

Background: Born in Nebraska, Walz served for 24 years in the National Guard, taught social studies and coached a high school football team. He got his start in politics in 2006 by winning a congressional race in a rural, largely conservative district of Minnesota. Here are 19 things to know about Walz.

Politics: After his election as governor of Minnesota, Walz has worked to enact an ambitious agenda of liberal policies: free college tuition for low-income students, free meals for schoolchildren, legal recreational marijuana and protections for transgender people. He has also championed climate issues but has faced criticism for his response to the George Floyd protests.