Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz secured his spot as Kamala Harris’s running mate by reassuring the presidential candidate that he was “not angling” for the top job, insiders said.
Harris’s choice came down to the sense of loyalty she got from Walz during their interviews, an insider told Politico.
“‘I’m at the end of my career. This is not about me. This is about America’s working families,’” the dad of two allegedly told the current veep and her vetting team on Sunday.
“‘And if I have to run through a brick wall, if I have to do the hard things, I’m willing to do it because I’m not angling for anything else,’” he added.
After playing second fiddle to a fading Joe Biden for four years, Walz’s deference appealed to Harris, the insider explained.
Harris announced on Tuesday that Walz, 60, was her pick for vice president, and introduced the affable former high school football coach to the crowd at her rally in Philadelphia that night.
Walz’s loyalty and progressive street cred gave him an edge over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was widely considered the favorite for the ticket.
“My honest sense is that Harris had a concern that Shapiro would overshadow her and be the spotlight of the ticket here,” a Democratic operative told The Post.
“What this pick came down to was, more or less, vibes,” they added.
While Walz embodied a “‘Midwestern do-no-harm vibe,’” there were concerns about Shapiro’s personal ambitions and his stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
Shapiro – who was raised Jewish and spent time in Israel during his youth – has openly condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pro-Likud government, but also maintained that Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack was part of its fundamental right to self-defense.
Shapiro’s take on the conflict put him at odds with hardcore progressives, who have slammed the Biden administration’s support of the Israeli war effort.
Possible worries about how a Shapiro ticket might impact Harris’s rapport with young progressives were potentially exacerbated by warnings from Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who clashed with Shapiro over the years.
The two faced off during their time together on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons, when Fetterman allegedly observed Shapiro putting his political aspirations ahead of doing what the former felt was morally right.
Shortly after Harris announced Walz as her VP choice on Tuesday, Shapiro praised the Minnesota governor as an “exceptionally strong” pick.
“Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind Kamala Harris’ campaign to defeat Donald Trump, become the 47th President of the United States, and build a better future for our country,” he said in a statement posted on X.
He joined Harris and Walz on stage at the Philadelphia rally Tuesday night.
