CHICAGO: Tim Walz has formally accepted his nomination for the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential candidate at a party convention on Wednesday.
“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States. What all we’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason. We love this country,” Walz told the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The Minnesota governor brings a Midwestern vibe to Kamila Harris’s campaign against Republican Donald Trump.
Taking the stage ahead of Harris’s big night on Thursday, the former teacher and National Guard soldier Walz outlined his life story in the speech.
A highlight of the event was the appearance of former president Bill Clinton, who said Harris had “knocked it out of the park” by picking Walz as her running mate.
On the occasion, former students marched on the stage to introduce Walz for the biggest speech of his political career.
On Tuesday, Democratic superstars Michelle and former president Barack Obama spoke, after Biden’s emotional speech Monday, where he passed the torch to his vice president.
Biden left Chicago after his address, as he pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The two sides spoke hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a tour of the Middle East aimed at reaching an accord as tensions rise in the region.
In a statement on X, Biden said ‘we must bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.’
As a white Midwesterner, Walz balances Harris’s barrier-breaking status as the first Black woman nominee.
Polls show Harris is moving slightly ahead of Trump. In a dramatic move, Harris and Walz held a mass rally on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
