Harris and Walz Kick Off Campaign in Philadelphia

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her newly selected vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, campaigned for the first time together in Philadelphia, known as The City of Brotherly Love, as they kicked off a multi-day tour of battleground states aimed at introducing Walz to the national stage.

In his remarks to a raucous crowd of more than 10,000 at Temple University, Walz described his upbringing in a small Nebraska town, his 24 years serving in the Army National Guard and his prior career as a high school social studies teacher and football coach.

Minnesota's Democratic governor since 2018, Walz, 60, has deep connections to rural American voters who in recent years have voted broadly for Trump - all of which are qualities that make Walz a good partner, said a source close to the selection process.

Harris, 59, became the Democratic standard-bearer after President Joe Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign under party pressure last month. She has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars and recast the race against Trump with a boost of energy from her party's base.

Walz has pushed a progressive agenda that includes free school meals, goals for tackling climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and expanded paid leave for workers.

Trump campaign officials seized on the selection to paint Walz as a liberal like Harris whose values they say are out of touch with most Americans.

Harris has erased Trump's polling lead and raised a mountain of campaign cash since her candidacy began. Another $20 million came in following her announcement of Walz as her running-mate, the campaign said.

The Harris campaign thinks the plain-spoken, folksy Waltz − who coined the "weird" attack line targeting Trump − can appeal to white working-class voters who have increasingly left the Democratic Party.