BREAKING: Kamala Harris taps Tim Walz as running mate

Reports emerged on Tuesday morning that Kamala Harris has selected Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate. The two are scheduled to appear together at a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday where the Walz will make an appearance for the first time in this role. Walz is the governor of Minnesota.

Among Harris' final pool of contenders were Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who met with Harris at her Washington, DC Naval Observatory residence on Sunday, the New York Times reported. By Monday afternoon, however, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the options had been narrowed down to Shapiro and Walz. Recent scandals have resurfaced over the past few days, potentially knocking Shapiro out. There were also concerns that he was too supportive of Israel.

Harris will hit the campaign trail with her new vice presidential pick this week, departing on a five-day tour that will hit cities such as Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Phoenix, as well as additional cities in other battleground states.

Shapiro has come under fire in recent days for accusations against a former top aide. Mike Vereb allegedly made repeated, graphic sexual remarks towards a female employee, with Vereb then allegedly criticizing her job performance when she refused his advances. Shapiro's office has also been accused of providing legal advice to the then-Secretary of Legislative Affairs Vereb all the while allegedly investigating Vereb for workplace harassment claims made by a subordinate in March 2023.

Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro's office, said that Shapiro "was not aware of the complaint or investigation until months after the complaint was filed," and that Shapiro should have been made aware of these allegations sooner.

Shapiro has also come under fire for backing up a claim that then-27-year-old Ellen Greenberg, a first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy, died by suicide in an apartment she shared with her fiancé, Sam Goldberg. She was stabbed 20 times, with Philadelphia Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne initially ruled her death a homicide. Osbourne noted that she had been stabbed 10 times in the back of her neck. There was reportedly a campaign by the Philadelphia Police Department, his boss, and a representative from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to pressure Osbourne into changing his mind and declaring her death a suicide, which he did.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be hearing arguments from the Greenberg family to rule the case a homicide and not a suicide. In a 2021 deposition, former Philadelphia Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsey Emery testified that at the request of Chief Medical Examiner Sam Gulino in 2019, she reviewed a city-retained piece of Ellen Greenberg’s spinal column and in her opinion, at least two of the stab wounds occurred after Greenberg died.

Shapiro won the governorship in 2022, beating Republican candidate Doug Mastriano by around 800,000 votes.
 

Ahead of the VP announcement, Walz received support from a number of House Democrats, such as Reps Jim McGovern, Pramila Jayapal, and Nancy Pelosi, according to The Hill. Walz also received support from United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who also stated that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshar was a pick of the union for Harris’ running mate.

"Those would be our top two if we had to pick any," Fain said on Face the Nation Sunday. "That's who we believe would be best for labor and for working class people but you know, that's her decision."