Kamala Harris selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her VP pick

When Walz launched his first run for Congress in 2005, he was still teaching high school. In 2006, he ousted Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht during a banner year for Democrats, who retook both houses in Congress as the nation turned against the war in Iraq.

Walz represented his mostly rural district, which bordered Iowa, for six terms.

According to GovTrack, Walz crafted a centrist record over his 12 years in Congress, likely a testament to a district that has conservative leanings. In 2018, Republicans won back the House seat.

During Walz’s five reelection campaigns, he boasted an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, according to MinnPost. But when Walz ran for governor, he said his perspective on the issue had changed.

Walz’s selection gives the party a credible Midwestern voice at the highest level of Democratic politics, a major asset as the campaign sees victories in Michigan and Wisconsin as a core part of its electoral calculus in November.

While Republicans are poised to win most rural locales across the Midwest, Democrats aren’t giving up on those areas. If the Harris-Walz ticket can dominate in urban areas while also winning smaller cities and tamping down the GOP’s rural margins, they have a chance to perform at levels not seen since President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012.