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Progressive lawmakers and groups are praising Harris's decision to pick Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

New York City Democrat Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez says Harris "made an excellent decision in Gov. Walz as her running mate".

"Together, they will govern effectively, inclusively, and boldly for the American people," she said.

Ilhan Omar, a Democratic lawmaker from Minnesota, posted a picture of her with Walz, saying "Our North Star state Governor has signed universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law".

Harris's choice has pleased other young progressives as well, including the Gen-Z group Voters of Tomorrow, which says Walz will "continue to champion our top priorities and fight to deliver a brighter future for us when he is vice president".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

For the first time today, we've heard from President Joe Biden, whose withdrawal from the race several weeks ago paved the way for Harris to become the Democrat's nominee.

In a post on X, Biden said that Harris' choice of Walz - who he has known for two decades - was "great".

"The Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America's middle class," Biden's post says. "They will be the strongest defenders of our personal freedoms and our democracy."

"It's time for all Democrats - and indeed all Americans - committed to freedom, democracy and American leadership in the world to really behind the Harris-Walz ticket," the post continues.

"Every generation of Americans faces a moment where they are asked to defend American democracy. That moment is now."

Republicans target a 'good vibes' VP pickpublished at 16:42 British Summer Time 6 August

16:42 BST 6 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

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In a year where “vibes” have been all the talk - on the economy, on the presidential campaign trail, on politics in general - Kamala Harris went with the good vibes pick for her running mate.

Tim Walz has a “mid-western nice” appeal, even when he’s throwing political punches.

His background - high-school teacher, football coach, Army National Guard enlisted soldier - broadcasts “meat-and-potatoes middle America”, as does his balding, rotund, slightly dishevelled appearance.

Walz stood in sharp contrast with Harris' other leading running mate contenders - the polished and ambitious Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, with his arrow-straight military demeanour.

Republicans are going to try to erase those early vibes and replace them with a darker picture - one of an “ultra-liberal” governor who, along with a Democratic state legislature, advanced an agenda that conservatives will say is too extreme for moderate and undecided voters.

The Trump campaign will have their work cut out for them to paint the affable Walz as a left-wing menace, however.

Harris and her new running mate will generate headlines with their cross-country tour this week. Then, in two weeks, the party will have another opportunity to dominate the political spotlight at the Democratic convention.

Most Republicans have attacked Tim Walz's politics since he was announced as Kamala Harris' running mate. But Maryland's former Republican Governor Larry Hogan has instead chosen to congratulate the Minnesota governor for his new role.

"We had the chance to work together as fellow governors, and while we come from different parties, I have always appreciated his dedication to public service," he says.

Hogan - now a US Senate candidate - says he believes "we need more governors at the national level because governors have to actually get stuff done".

"I wish Tim and his family well in the campaign ahead," Hogan adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump's campaign team is working to frame Tim Walz as a "another left-wing extremist" who was put on the Democratic ticket to aid Harris' progressive agenda.

In a video posted on X, the former president's campaign says Harris "doubled down on her radical vision for America by tapping another left-wing extremist as her nominee", calling their platform "dangerously liberal".

A number of Republican lawmakers and leaders have also attacked Walz as a "far-left" governor.

In his first post since Harris announced Walz as her pick, Trump simply wrote on his social media site Truth Social, "Thank you!"

Several of his Republican allies - including his former adviser Kellyanne Conway - have argued Walz is a weak pick who will boost Trump's chances.

Nancy Pelosi wins again in 2024published at 16:20 British Summer Time 6 August

16:20 BST 6 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was a key behind-the-scenes driver of Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his re-election bid.

Her public comments kept the door open for the president’s ultimate abdication and her phone call confronting him and his top advisor with evidence of his sagging support was one of the final blows.

Now, the man Pelosi reportedly favoured to be Kamala Harris’s running-mate pick is slated to be on the Democratic ticket.

Before Tim Walz was governor of Minnesota, he was a congressman serving in the Democratic House majority headed by Pelosi.

As mentioned earlier, Pelosi quickly gushed after this morning's announcement that Walz is “wonderful”.

It’s no surprise why she feels that way. Walz won a Republican-held seat in Minnesota in 2006, helping to deliver the House majority to Pelosi and the Democrats for the first time in 12 years.

Even though Pelosi holds no official leadership positions in Washington - her title of “speaker emeritus” is an honourary invention - the past month has shown that there are few in the corridors of power that have as much influence as the California octogenarian.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

One of the primary reasons that Tim Walz was probably chosen is his potential appeal to white, working class Americans - a key demographic that has helped fuel and maintain Donald Trump's political fortunes in this country.

A former school teacher, football coach and long-time member of the Army National Guard, Walz did not run for office until he was in his 40s. In his first race, he successfully ran against a Republican in Minnesota's rural, traditionally conservative 1st Congressional District.

He was re-elected five times before he left Capitol Hill.

While Republicans this morning are already attacking him as "too liberal", some of the policies that he implemented as Minnesota's governor proved broadly popular among the state's Democrats and Republicans.

Last year, for example, Walz signed an executive order removing a college-degree requirement for 75% of Minnesota's state jobs. The initiative was later copied by several other states.

Walz is also a gun owner and hunter, although his support among gun rights groups slipped after he backed supporting tighter restrictions on firearms ownership.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, are headed to Philadelphia to join Kamala Harris ahead of her rally there this evening, according to an email sent to campaign staffers.

The brief email - a copy of which was obtained by CBS, the BBC's US partner - referred to Walz as "a relentless advocate for working families" and a "battle-tested leader" with significant legislative accomplishments.

Walz will join the campaign on a staff call this evening ahead of the rally.

"We’ve got 91 days, let’s go win this!" the email added.

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Hillary Clinton, the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major US political party, says she is "thrilled" to see Walz join the Democratic ticket.

"From providing free meals for schoolkids to implementing paid family leave in Minnesota, he's about doing good in all the ways you can. He'll be an incredible partner to our first woman president," she says.

"Let's go win this," she adds.

Clinton lost to Trump when the pair ran for president in 2016. She endorsed Harris shortly after the vice-president announced her run.

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We've just heard from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another vice-presidential contender who was reportedly a finalist to be Kamala Harris' running mate.

In a post on X, he says his "work here in Pennsylvania is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for our Commonwealth".

Shapiro goes on to say he plans to travel across the state to help Harris and Tim Walz beat Donald Trump.

In a longer statement, Shapiro says Walz is an "exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

We're starting to learn more about Harris' selection of Walz and what led her to that decision.

A source familiar with the process told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that Harris believes Walz has a strong record of policy achievements in Minnesota that could, potentially, be replicated across the US.

This includes child tax credits, as well as a ban on so-called "junk fees", a state-wide paid sick leave programme and the signing of a bill that protects the right to abortion.

Additionally, Harris believes that his biography and life experiences as a school teacher, football coach, veteran and gun owner mean that he will appeal to voters in Midwest states that will be vital for the Harris campaign to win.

Harris also reportedly believes that Walz has the ability to reach through to voters with his plainspoken attack lines - such as the much-noted label of "weird" he used to describe Trump and Vance.

Lastly, Harris and Walz have a strong relationship, and Harris believes he can be a good partner for her going forward.

Image source, Getty Images

Tim Walz has just made his first public comment since Harris announced she chose him as her running mate.

"It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris, external in this campaign," he writes on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I’m all in."

Walz adds that Harris is "showing us the politics of what’s possible".

"It reminds me a bit of the first day of school," he says. "So, let’s get this done, folks!"

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

In a lengthy Instagram post, Kamala Harris has explained her decision, remarking that Walz's "convictions on fighting for middle class families" were among the things that stood out to her.

In the post, Harris described Walz's upbringing and early career, which she said "shows in no uncertain terms how it informs his record".

"I share this background both because it's impressive in his own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record," she added.

The post includes several of Walz's legislative accomplishments as Minnesota's governor, such as his efforts to protect abortion rights and state-wide paid family and medical leave.

"But what impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family, Gwen, Gus and Hope," she said, referencing Walz's wife and children.

"Doug and I look forward to working with him and Gwen to build an administration that reflects our shared values."

Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from Philadelphia

Image source, Getty Images

We will get to see what the new Harris and Walz ticket looks and feels like here in Philadelphia later today.

Both will hold a rally at the Liacouras Centre, which holds more than 10,000 people.

It will mark the start of a week-long tour of battleground states - which is essentially the whole ballgame when it comes to the election race.

Many felt that Harris would pick Gov Josh Shapiro as her running mate because she was coming to Pennsylvania to announce the VP pick. But, in the end, she will have 60-year-old Tim Walz at her side.

With his folksy demeanour, he could help balance the ticket with VP Harris - who has spent much of her career in the more liberal state of California - by appealing to working-class and rural voters.

Walz has also honed a specific line of attack becoming one of the first Democrats to publicly label Republicans "weird", which has struck a nerve with the opposing party.

The Harris campaign just released the vice-president's official announcement.

Kamala Harris has just officially announced Tim Walz as her running mate.

Here's what she just posted to X:

Walz's political foes have criticised his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 protests over George Floyd's death and his prioritisation of liberal policies and positions as governor.

The state's Republican chairman David Hann recently told Fox News that he believes Walz "was fearful of alienating his progressive base" during the George Floyd protests and avoided sending a more forceful response.

Minnesota Republicans have also noted that Walz has moved on from his more moderate views and become a figure of the progressive left since he entered the governor's mansion.

We've already seen national Republicans issue statements on Walz this morning that targeted his term as governor. They have emphasised their view that Walz is "dangerously liberal".

Republicans are taking to social media to frame Harris's vice presidential pick - Tim Walz - as a figure of the far-left.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a former candidate in the presidential race, says Harris and Walz are "the most left-wing ticket in American history".

Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who is also from Minnesota, launched a similar attack, saying Walz embodies "the same disastrous economic, open-borders and soft-on-crime policies Harris has inflicted on our country".

Emmer goes on to call Walz "an empty suit who has worked to turn Minnesota into Harris’ home state of California" - which mirrors a line used by the Trump-Vance campaign.

Several Republicans also framed Walz as a weak pick who could boost Trump's chances in the race.

Trump's former senior adviser Kellyanne Conway writes on X: "Tim Walz? What a relief."

The Trump-Vance campaign is responding to the Walz pick by calling him as a "San Francisco Liberal" wannabee and a "dangerously liberal extremist".

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Walz has spent his governorship "trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State".

"While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is ‘mostly cows and rocks’," she said. "From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi applauded the Walz vice-presidential selection in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

"Tim Walz is wonderful, and she had many good choices among the six and certainly among the two - [I'm a] big fan of Governor Shapiro," Pelosi said.

Pelosi said she knows Walz well after they served together in the House of Representatives.

"He's a heartland of America Democrat," she said.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Reactions to Kamala Harris' selection of Tim Walz as her running mate are starting to come in, though it appears many Democrats are waiting for the campaign's official announcement.

One of the first we've received was from Elianne Farhat, the executive director of Take Action Minnesota and a senior advisor to the "Uncommitted" movement - which discouraged voters from casting ballots for Biden in protest of his support for Israel.

In a statement, Farhat said that Walz has "demonstrated a remarkable ability to evolve as a public leader" uniting a diverse coalition of Democrats "to achieve significant milestones" for Minnesota.

"Whilst his past positions as a Congressman may have conflicted with anti-war voters, we hope he can evolve on this issue as he has on others," Farhat added.

"As Harris' vice presidential pick, it's crucial he continues this evolution by supporting an arms embargo on Israel's war and occupation against Palestinians in an effort to unite our party to defeat authoritarianism in the fall," she added.