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Speculation grows over potential vice presidential pick for Harris. Could Gov. Walz be a contender?
Political experts put Governor Tim Walz lower down on the list but his name has popped up on several lists of potential contenders.
With growing support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nominee, conversations are turning to potential running mates.
“The first question that the Harris campaign is going to think about is, ‘Who can help us win?’ This is about winning,” said Larry Jacobs, political science professor at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Jacobs said the Harris campaign will be looking for a candidate who can stretch the Democratic appeal to independent and swing voters, and maybe even some Republicans.
“I think there are going to be several candidates from the South who have demonstrated the ability as governors to win over Republican states,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said some potential top picks include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
“They have won repeatedly in Republican states. They actually have support from Republicans in their states. They have certainly a Democratic agenda, but they have a style and a moderate image that has really helped them,” Jacobs said.
North Carolina is also a battleground state, as is Arizona where Mark Kelly serves as a U.S. Senator.
“I think the party is always also going to be looking for candidates in the Southwest that have also been able to reach outside the Democratic base, have an appeal perhaps to some of those Libertarian voters who might be out there. Conservatives, as well,” Jacobs said.
Other names on the list include Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and California Governor Gavin Newsom. But given both Newsom and Harris hail from California, it’s more unlikely. The 12th Amendment states both the president and vice president cannot be residents of the same state, meaning electors could only vote for one of them.
Another name popping up on lists is Gov. Tim Walz. On Monday, the governor told KARE 11’s news partner MPR News that he’s open to the idea.
“If I thought there was something that I could bring to the ticket and make a difference, especially in those states that we need to win, I’m certainly listening. But look, I’ve got the best job I could ever hope for — the honor of my life serving the people of Minnesota. I think though when I travel, a lot of states like what we’re doing here and I think that idea that we could do that in other places would be great,” Gov. Walz told Minnesota Now hosted by Cathy Wurzer.
KARE 11 reached out to the governor’s office and a spokesperson said, “The Governor is excited that Minnesota is receiving national attention for passing a historic legislative agenda. While he plans to do everything he can to defeat Donald Trump in November, he remains focused on his job as Governor.”
Jacobs said, “I think the question is going to be what does Governor Walz do for the ticket that is exceptional compared to the other options, unlike the southern governors who are winning in Republican states?”
There’s also the question of who could debate former President Donald Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance.
“The Harris Campaign is looking for a candidate who could be effective in taking on JD Vance in a way that reintroduces the Harris ticket to voters who are not now supporting the Democrats. That’s the key here. How can you broaden the appeal of the Harris ticket? And right now, I think they’ve got a real struggle. They are clearly the underdogs at this point,” Jacobs said.
Other names showing up in the media include Governors Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania), JB Pritzker (Illinois) and Wes Moore (Maryland). Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan had been mentioned as a possible contender but Monday she announced she will serve as co-chair of Harris’ presidential campaign.
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
