Harris formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, becoming the first Indian-American to win the nomination from a major political party.

Washington: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her ring mate in the presidential election later this year, calling him a champion of working families.

By electing Walz, 60, Harris, who is of Indian and African descent, hopes to win votes from key rust belts and some key battleground states.

“I am proud to announce that I have asked Governor Tim Walz to be my running mate. One of the things that stood out to me about Tim was how deep his understanding of fighting for middle-class families ran,” Harris said.

“It's personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he has helped working families like his own. We are going to build a great partnership. We start as underdogs, but I believe we can come together and win this election,” she said.

Harris formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, becoming the first Indian-American to win the nomination from a major political party.

She will face Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, 78, in the November 5 general election.

According to her campaign, Harris' decision to choose Walz as her running mate will help them fight together to strengthen democracy, protect reproductive freedom and give every person a chance to not just get ahead, but get ahead.

Joining @kamalaharris on this campaign is the honor of a lifetime. I'm all in.

Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what is possible. I remember the first day of school. So let's get this done, folks! Join us,” Walz said in a post on X.

Harris and Walz will make their first joint campaign appearance at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with thousands of supporters.

It's the first event in a five-day barnstorm to introduce the Harris-Walz ticket to voters in key battleground states.

The Harris campaign said Walz is a champion for working families, a retired Army National Guardsman, former high school teacher and football coach, member of Congress and a two-term governor where he cut taxes for working families, thereby reducing spending. Insulin, and protected women's right to choose.

“Governor Walz has done more to help middle-class families than any other statewide leader in recent memory. That experience makes him an ideal running mate for Kamala Harris, who has taken on big banks, fought for reproductive freedom and stood with our friends against his aggression as (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's prosecutor, attorney general. Senator and Vice President,” it said.

Born and raised in Nebraska, Walz holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences and a master's degree in educational leadership.

Progressives welcomed Harris' selection as his running mate.

“Walz is easily popular and represents the exact direction the Democratic Party needs. With Walz, Harris has defied the corporate consulting class and signaled that she will double down on the populist, pro-consumer, pro-worker agenda of the Biden-Harris administration,” Progressive Change Campaign said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the committee. Harris works closely with the campaign and the White House.

“Walz has proven that he has the skills and genuine populism necessary for a crime – calling out the extremist and grotesque Trump-ones agenda. As governor, he passed a popular economic and voting rights agenda that would appeal to working families in the Midwest and across the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the rival Trump campaign described Walz as a radical leftist.

In an email to his supporters, Trump said Walz would be the worst vice president in American history.

“He will unleash hell on earth and open our borders to the worst criminals imaginable. He will rubber stamp Kamal's Green New Scam and set trillions of dollars on fire. But the real killer: He's already shelled out millions of dirty cash to buy the White House!” He charged.

“No wonder San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate — Walz has tried to rebrand Minnesota as the Golden State,” said Trump campaign press secretary Carolyn Levitt.

“A two-term governor and current chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Walz could be particularly useful in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan. He is already popular in western Wisconsin because he shares the media market with Minnesota, while Michigan shares some economic and cultural similarities with the state he now governs. is,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

The New York Times said the Minnesota governor brings Midwestern appeal to the ticket and has a plain-spoken way of talking about Trump.

The Washington Post reported that many Democrats said Walz's selection would be politically beneficial.

“Harris, 59, who is black and Indian American and has spent much of her career in deep blue California, was chosen from a list of finalists filled with white men who represented the country's more competitive factions, including Walz,” the newspaper reported.

“During the short effort, Walz, who is not well known nationally, proved to be an effective communicator on Harris' behalf, according to her associates. “He pointed out his criticism of former President Donald Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, that went viral in recent weeks,” Politico reported.

A lifelong Midwesterner, Walz grew up working on his family farm. At 17, he enlisted in the Army National Guard, following in the footsteps of his father – a veteran.

During his 24 years of National Guard service, he specialized in heavy artillery and retired as the highest ranking National Guard soldier in southern Minnesota.

Walz is a gun owner and supporter of the Second Amendment — and believes Congress should do more to combat gun violence in our communities.

As governor, he instituted universal background checks for gun purchases, the Harris campaign said.

He served as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District from 2007 to 2019, was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018, and was re-elected in 2022.

For six terms, Walz represented the conservative-leaning district where he was the second Democrat elected since 1890.

He was the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, where he authored legislation to prevent veteran suicide.

His wife, Gwen Walz, is an advocate for education and community issues. They have two children, Asha and Gus.

A practicing Lutheran Christian, he is not publicly known for significant wealth and has a moderate income based on his public service roles.

Although he has no major personal scandals, his handling of issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest in Minnesota has drawn criticism from various political groups.