On August 6, local time, the suspense that lasted for two weeks finally came to an end. U.S. Vice President Harris officially announced that she had chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Later that day, the two who had officially accepted the nomination made their first joint appearance at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to comprehensive U.S. media reports, the focus of this rally was to introduce Walz, who was "unfamiliar to most Americans," to voters. Starting from his background as a small town youth, supplemented by his experience as a soldier and teacher, and then to his political career from a congressman to a governor, Walz successfully completed his first campaign speech with a speech that was said to be "full of energy and humor."
When mentioning his Republican opponent, Walz criticized Trump's presidential experience as proving that he "only serves himself," and mocked his running mate Vance, who claimed to be a "countryman" but had actually long been in the elite class, and "can't wait" to debate with him, and a "rural spokesperson battle" was ready to start.
CNN pointed out that Waltz encountered almost no opposition from the main factions of the Democratic Party. Sources said that Harris was attracted by Waltz's administrative experience as governor and his positions on policies such as gun control and reproductive rights. A review conducted on Sunday showed that the two had "very good chemistry", comparable to the "Goldilocks principle". However, since Waltz has never shown the ability to shake key states in statewide campaigns, he is not a "risk-free choice", and whether he can help Harris in areas outside his hometown remains to be seen.
According to Fox News, although Republicans quickly launched attacks on Waltz when the news was made public, many of Trump's allies were actually "relieved" that Harris did not choose Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as his running mate. They believed that this meant that Pennsylvania was still "an option to fight for", and many conservatives "cheered Harris for giving the Republican Party a big gift".