Inside JD Vance and Tim Walz picks as running mates ahead of debate face-off (original) (raw)
Why JD Vance and Tim Walz were picked as running mates as VP hopefuls prepare for first debate
Both Harris and Trump made their vice presidential picks shortly before their respective party's conventions
Both Harris and Trump made their vice presidential picks shortly before their respective party's conventions
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio are set to meet tonight for their first and only scheduled vice presidential debate.
The matchup, hosted by CBS News in New York City, might not carry the same stakes as the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, but it will involve the biggest television and online audience either vice presidential nominee will see before Election Day, the Associated Press reported.
Both men have taken unlikely paths to the vice presidential nomination. Walz was a last minute pick after president Joe Biden's shock announcement he was bowing out of the 2024 presidential race and backing his vice president Harris as the nominee. Vance, once a sharp critic of Trump, is taking the place of the former president's vice president Mike Pence, after the pair fell out after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
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Vance, once a sharp critic of Trump, is taking the place of the former president's vice president Mike Pence, after the pair fell out after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Both Harris and Trump made their vice presidential picks shortly before their respective party's conventions. Trump selected Vance to be his running mate back in July days after the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally. His pick initially puzzled some, due to the first-term senator once being a staunch critic of the former president.
Vance is reported to have not even voted for the former US President in 2016, but has since transformed into one of his most vocal supporters. Trump reportedly offered the junior Ohio Senator the vice presidential nominee position just 20 minutes before making the announcement on his Truth Social platform, according to a source who spoke to CNN news anchor Kaitlan Collins.
The last-minute decision took even Trump's family by surprise, with Donald Trump Jr. revealing on X that his father had informed him "just minutes" before the news was made public. In a post on his Truth Social Network, Trump stated: "After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio."
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Walz was a last minute pick after president Joe Biden's shock announcement he was bowing out of the 2024 presidential race and backing his vice president Harris as the nominee (
Image:
Getty Images)
Harris' selection of a running mate came just a few weeks later in August, just one day after securing the Democratic nomination. "I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate," Harris announced. "As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his."
She added: "It's great to have him on the team. Now let’s get to work." The former teacher and member of the US Army National Guard had gone went viral in the States for attacking Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird”.
Her decision came quickly considering at the time she had only been the Democratic candidate for president for just over two weeks. There was widespread speculation as to who she would choose, with the biggest names in the running including: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Despite not having the same profile as the other vice presidential hopefuls, Walz was Harris' choice. She has consistently praised his packed resume as a teacher, veteran, football coach, politician and family man.
Beyond that of husband and father, Harris said her running mate was “Sergeant Major Walz” to his fellow veterans, “Congressman” to voters of southern Minnesota, “Mr. Walz” to the high school students he used to teach and “Coach” to the football players he coached.