'We are the underdogs': Harris introduces VP pick Tim Walz to fired-up crowd
Minnesota's governor has been leading attacks on Donald Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced presidential campaign running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, took the stage to a roaring crowd in Philadelphia Tuesday in their first joint public appearance where, together, they took aim at what they called Trump's "backward agenda" for America.
Hundreds of supporters waited in lines outside the Liacouras Center at Temple University, which has a capacity of 10,000 people, for the event and packed the arena.
That crowd gave Walz and Harris a lengthy ovation as they took the stage to the song "Freedom" by Beyoncé.
Walz and Harris hit the stage touting an agenda of unifying the country, working for all Americans, and sharing their vision in comparison to the conservative policies being pushed by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
"We need to level set; we are the underdogs in this race, but we have the momentum, and I know exactly what we are up against," she said.
Harris said her campaign is not just a fight against Trump but a "fight for the future."
Harris talked up Walz to the crowd and told them about her decision to choose the Minnesota governor as her running mate.
"Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future," she said. "So, Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader."
The vice president focused on Walz's time as a high school teacher and football coach as she introduced him to supporters, repeatedly referring to him as "Coach Walz," which prompted the crowd to repeat that title.
"The nation will know Coach Walz by another name -- vice president of the United States," she said of the former high school football coach.
SEE ALSO: Who is Tim Walz? Harris poised to pick Minn. governor as VP running mate
Harris spoke about how Walz while working as a teacher and coach, became a faculty advisor for his school's student LGTBQ group and how his care for others has been a hallmark of his time in office.
The vice president reiterated that she and Walz are committed to protecting women's reproductive rights and restoring rights that were taken away after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
"With Tim Walz by my side when I am president of the United States, [and] we win majorities in the United States Congress, we will pass a bill to restore reproductive freedom, and I will proudly sign it into law," she said.
Harris noted that she and Walz "may hail from different corners of our great country, but our values are the same, and we both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down."
"When we look at folks, we see in our fellow Americans neighbors, not enemies," she said.
Walz touted Harris' experience as a prosecutor, senator and vice president during his speech. stating that she "fought on the side of the American people."
"She took on predators and fraudsters, took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests, she's never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people's lives. And -- she brings joy to everything she does," he said.
The governor spoke highly about his time as a teacher and how that pushed him to run for office.
"It was my students. They encouraged me to run for office. They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them - a commitment of common good, a belief that one person can make a difference," he said.
"These same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students, I took to Congress and the state capital, and now, Vice President Harris and I are running to take them to the White House," he said.
Walz took several shots at Trump, contending the former president's policies while in office hurt Americans.
"He drove our economy into the ground. And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That's not even counting the crimes he committed," he said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was in the running for the vice presidential spot on the ticket before Walz was chosen, received a huge ovation from the crowd as he took the stage before Walz and Harris spoke.
"I want you to know I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you as your governor," he said.
He also touted Harris' record, contending she is "battle-tested and ready to go."
Shapiro went on to criticize Trump for his role in dismantling reproductive rights and warned that if the former president is re-elected, more restrictions could come.
"Let me tell you something: I am not going back," he said to the crowd.
Shapiro also lauded Walz, calling him a "great patriot" and "dear friend."
"I think it is fitting and special for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to launch their campaign here in Philly, the city of brotherly love, and importantly, they chose to launch their campaign right here in the birthplace of real freedom," he said.
Walz, during his speech, praised Shapiro as a "visionary leader" and a "guy who cares deeply about his family, a man with compassion [and] vision."
"There is no one you would rather go to a Springsteen concert in Jersey with than him," Walz said as the audience shouted, "Bruce."
Tuesday's Harris-Walz event kicks off a five-day campaign road trip that will visit seven crucial swing states.
The vice president and Walz are scheduled to visit Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas this week.
Why pick Walz?
Harris likes Walz's executive experience and a his "strong record of accomplishment for middle class families that models what we want to do nationally," according to a source close to the selection process. Specifically, a Harris-Walz campaign will highlight his fight for expanded child tax credits, junk-fee ban, paid-leave policies, gun safety legislation and codifying Roe v. Wade protection, the source said.
As governor, he's implemented a bevy of progressive policies, including paid family leave, universal school breakfast and lunch, legalization of recreational marijuana use, state codification of abortion rights and gun control measures like universal background checks and red flag laws.
Harris and her campaign love his bio, the source told ABC News, adding that it "will appeal in key Midwest states we must win." As a veteran, football coach, hunter and gun owner, Walz has a "deep connection to rural American," the source added.
Also, Walz has a record of winning in a Trump-voting district as a House member.
Harris' team loves the "weird" line he came up with in his attacks against Trump and Vance -- and think that it's a line that will stick against their opponents, the source said.
And this person cites a "strong personal rapport and confidence in his ability to be a governing partner" as a key reason Harris made the selection.
Harris spent this past weekend interviewing the top contenders on her vice presidential shortlist, meeting in person at her Washington, D.C., home with Walz, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
It was just 16 days ago that President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and Harris and her vetting team -- led by former Attorney General Eric Holder -- were operating in a truncated time frame. The vetting team initially cast a wide net, with more than a dozen people in consideration. That list quickly got shorter, with nine people being formally asked to submit vetting materials.
It's a process that is extensive and one that would typically take months - but Holder, along with his vetting team led by former White House counsel Dana Remus, campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, campaign chief of staff Sheila Nix, and Harris's brother-in-law Tony West -- wrapped up their work on Friday, turning it over to Harris for a final decision.
Harris met with her vetting team on Saturday and was provided with extensive briefings on each candidate under consideration. She then interviewed the top choices.
Following Harris' interview with Shapiro, there was a sense among Shapiro's team that the meeting did not go as well as it could have, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Later Sunday -- after the interview -- Shapiro placed a phone call to Harris' team indicating he had reservations about leaving his job as governor, sources said.
Walz, on the other hand, had an indication Monday evening that he would be chosen as Harris' running mate, sources familiar with the matter said.
Harris came to her decision on Monday and told a small group of staff, sources said. She did not place a phone call to Walz until Tuesday morning.
Walz as a Harris surrogate
As a surrogate for Harris these past few weeks, Walz has praised her for reenergizing Democrats and defended her record against Trump's attacks claiming she is "ultra-liberal."
"He's going to roll it out, mispronounce names, you know, to try and make the case," Walz said of Trump attacking Harris during a recent appearance on CNN. "The fact of the matter is where you see the policies that Vice President Harris was a part of making, Democratic governors across the country executed those policies and quality of life is higher, the economies are better, all of those things, educational attainment is better."
