MINNEAPOLIS — Governor Tim Walz Tuesday wouldn't say whether he's being vetted by Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign as a possible running mate.
Gov. Walz told reporters he spoke to the Vice President Harris Sunday afternoon, shortly after President Biden dropped out of the race and threw his support to Harris.
"What I'll say is I talked to the Vice President Sunday afternoon early," Walz explained. "She made it clear that she was going to earn the support of folks. She was going to continue to run and continue an agenda that was going to help the middle class. And I said I’ll be there to do whatever I can to help. And that’s where we’re at, at this point, it seems."
While Walz hasn't dismissed the idea of joining the Harris ticket, he definitely downplayed the notion of being on the short list of potential running mates.
"I’m not going to talk about the specifics that were in on that. At this point in time, we’re just going to leave it at that."
Walz has been mentioned as a Veep candidate alongside Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and four other Democrat governors, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
The political calculus for the Harris Campaign includes electoral college strategy, geographical balance, name recognition, the ability of her vice-presidential candidate to provide a counterbalance to former President Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
Walz's work as a Biden surrogate on the campaign trail, and chair of the Democratic Governors Association, has raised Walz's national profile. And he's scored points with progressives with the legislative successes he's had in this state.
At the same time, he's taken hit from Republicans over the response to the riots after the murder of George Floyd, and for the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal that robbed a federal nutrition program operated under the auspices of the Minnesota Department of Education.
Walz said he's excited about enthusiasm the Harris campaign has injected into the Democrat cause.
"Look, President Biden has been an incredible president, best in my lifetime," Walz remarked. "But we were struggling to get a message out. Now we’ve got that opportunity and there was an explosion of it. I’m looking forward to the next 104 days, and I think for all of us it feels like there’s a burst of new energy."
Harris made history March 14 when she visited Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, making her the highest-ranking government leader to ever visit an abortion clinic. She spent that stop thanking Minnesota providers and leaders for their efforts to preserve abortion access for women in this state, as well as those traveling here from places where it was now barred.
Walz said the surge of excitement around Harris's entry into the race reminds him of the reaction she received when she made a surprise stop the same day at a softball practice Saint Paul Central High School.
"To watch the word filter down, when the young women who were practicing softball said, ‘Oh my God, it’s the Vice President!' and to see them gather around and hear her talk about, 'Look, you can do anything you want. I’m the Vice President of the United States,' was for me, energizing."