Kamala Harris announced her choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, a decision that has excited Democrats from all corners of the party.

While the pick appears to be a bid to unite the Democratic Party heading into a crucial week of campaigning in key states, Harris’s selection of Walz could also signal a shift from President Joe Biden’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.

Walz offers Harris a strong counterpoint to the Republican vice presidential pick J.D. Vance. Like Vance, Walz is a small-town Midwesterner, but he has built a political career in the progressive wing of Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. Walz’s matter-of-fact tone in his criticism of conservatives in TV appearances launched the former schoolteacher and football coach to a new level of popularity in recent weeks. …..more