On a special edition of “The Hill with April Ryan,” Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison shared his thoughts about Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.
Ellison told theGrio, “[Voters] will like” Walz, who he has known for almost two decades. The two former congressmen served together in the Minnesota delegation.
Ellison, the former deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, acknowledged Walz served in the U.S. military and would support veterans. He noted the Minnesota governor is also a former school teacher and coach who expanded free food programs for school children.
Walz, governor of a flyover battleground state, is a proud gun owner and pheasant hunter, which would dismiss any Republican criticisms about his support for the Second Amendment. Overall, Harris’s running mate pick is perceived as a win for Democrats who are looking to gain support among Midwest and rural voters.
Walz is also said to be a prominent civil rights proponent. Harris selecting Walz comes as Minnesota was pivotal for President Joe Biden, who ironically picked Harris as his running mate more than four years ago following international protests over the police murder of George Floyd in Walz’s state. The Black Lives Matter movement in Minnesota and across the country compelled Biden to pick a Black woman as his vice president after previously committing to selecting a woman.
Ellison recalled when Walz personally asked him to take on the Floyd case as the lead prosecutor. After Ellison won that case, Harris phoned him with a congratulatory message.
