Democrats lean on Walz’s biography at Philadelphia rally introducing new ticket to voters

(CNN) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz introduced himself as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate for the first time at a joint Philadelphia rally Tuesday, positioning himself as both a folksy populist and a fierce defender of the official Democratic ticket.

“We’ve got 91 days. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” Walz told the crowd. “Over those 91 days, and every day in the White House, I’ll have Vice President Harris’ back every single day – and we’ll have yours.”

The appearance marked the first opportunity for both Walz, a relatively unknown politician on the national scale, and Harris to share his story with voters across the country, from his upbringing in small town, rural Nebraska to his record as governor of the North Star State.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said. “A leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward. A fighter for the middle class, a patriot who believes as I do in the extraordinary promise of America. A promise of freedom, opportunity and justice – not just for some, but for all.”

It was also an opportunity for the party to unify after the vice president’s search for a running mate grew competitive in its final days.

Harris and Walz were introduced by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of three running mate candidates the vice president met with in-person over the weekend. Shapiro, who faced a last-minute push to hurt his chances of being chosen, started his speech by telling the crowd how much he loves his current job and vowing to help elect Harris and Walz.

“I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor, and I’m going to be working my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States,” Shapiro said. “Tim Walz is an outstanding governor, Tim Walz is a teacher. Tim Walz is a guardsman. Tim Walz is a great patriot.”

As the duo sought to introduce Walz in battleground Pennsylvania, the pair used their remarks to portray the Minnesota governor as a Midwestern everyman, a high school teacher turned purple district lawmaker who advanced key Democratic policy since being elected to his state’s top office in 2018.

“Minnesota’s strength comes from our values, our commitment to working together, to seeing past our differences and always being willing to lend a helping hand,” Walz said. “Those are the same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students. I took it to Congress and to the state Capitol. And now Vice President Harris and I are running to take those very values to the White House.”

The governor described following in the footsteps of his late father – a former educator who served in the Army – first as a member of the Army National Guard and later as a teacher. Walz said that his students encouraged him to run to flip his Republican-controlled congressional district in 2006.

“They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them: a commitment of common good,” he said. “I believe that one person can make a difference. So, in 2006, I took the leap and I ran for Congress.”

Walz also leaned into his role as an attack dog for Harris, at times mocking the Republican ticket. He said Trump is “too busy serving himself” to serve others and would take the country backwards, echoing Harris’ popular stump speech line: “We’re not going back.”

Walz didn’t spare his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance, either, referencing the Ohio senator’s Ivy League education and declaring that he “can’t wait” to debate him.

She took her own jab at Vance, comparing the records of the two parties’ running mates.

“When you compare his resume to Trump’s running mate, well – some might say it’s like a matchup between the varsity team and the JV squad,” Harris said.

She also used her remarks to tell Walz’s story, including his time as a faculty advisor to his high school’s Gay Straight Alliance, and said that only in America could two people with such different backgrounds win the presidency.

“The promise of America is what makes it possible for two middle class kids – one a daughter of Oakland California who was raised by a working mother, the other a son of the Nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm – only in America is it possible for them together to make it all the way to the White House,” Harris said.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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