districts across the under midwest. that's going -- upper midwest. that's going to be the challenge. as far as him being a progressive or mort, i don't know. -- moderate, i don't know. i will say this -- progressives over the past week were his champion, were pushing for him over shapiro, and they weren't doing that because they see him as a conservative. >> yeah. i know one thing, he won't be talking about childless cat ladies or being racially divisive. that's a step up from the other side. that does it for us this morning. >> that's a bar -- >> it is. anna cabrera picks up the coverage right now. >> reporter: it is 9:00 eastern, i'm reporting from new york. let's get right to the big political news this morning. vice president kamala harris choosing minnesota governor tim walz as her running mate. that decision breaking within the last hour with harris having made her choice this morning.

we are awaiting any movement, and we're expecting him to join harris in philadelphia for a joint rally this evening before the two begin a cross-country campaign blitz this week. nbc has more live from philadelphia ahead of that rally tonight. also with us, former democratic senator claire mccaskill. simone sanders townsend, co-host of the "the weekend," and former spokesperson for harris along with chief political analyst chuck todd. what can you tell us about harris picking walz and their rally tonight in philli? >> well, we know just in talking to a number of sources that vice president kamala harris picked minnesota governor tim walz because there was chemistry, he will have her back, and the coalition that they're building for vice president kamala harris. i was told that he is someone who is seen as someone who can talk to progressives but also talk to people who may be

moderates, even moderate republicans. i was on the phone with attorney general keith ellison who is the attorney general of minnesota. he told me he thought this was a brilliant pick. even though minnesota has been a blue state for a long time, they work at it each and every year. he said it's not easy, but we know how to win. we knock on doors, bring people together. he said tim walz being at the top of the ticket has been instrumental in keeping the midwestern states blue. the other thing to note is keith ellison told me that tim walz's background is connected to the civil rights leaders and said in the george floyd case, if not for walz there would be no prosecution. he said his decision to take it into the attorney general's hand ensured justice for the george floyd family. and it showed that he personally care good that family. he talked about the fact that tim waz has universal lunch for the state, he has great relationships with people on the ground from a number of different coalitions.

he told me -- his words, this is not just some old white guy, this, is again, keith ellison saying, this saying in fact he's someone who has a long history connected to civil rights and connected to race. he pointed out that tim walz appointed the first black woman to the minnesota supreme court. that tells you about how he thinks about diversity. all along i've been hearing that vice president harris wanted someone who wasn't going to undermine her, but someone who was going to be able to go out and be aggressive when it comes to republicans via sort of bull bulldog but someone who will be comfortable letting a woman lead. in talking to people about the decision, they said the vice president waited until this morning to officially make this decision. she wanted to sleep on it, she wanted to make sure this was the right decision. this morning she called the contenders and tim walz is the guy. >> i know you'll continue to get more information as we go throughout the morning. senator mccaskill, walz was this man who coined the weird label to describe trump and vance.

sort of the introduction a lot of americans had to walz more recently. and take a listen to what he said about all that. >> these are weird people on the other side. they want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room. that's what it comes down to. and don't get sugarcoating this. these are weird ideas. these guys are just weird. and this -- they're running for key man women haters club or something. that's what they do. that's not what people are interested in. i keep talking about the golden rule of small towns is mind your own damn business, mind your own family, stay out of our business. and it gets worse than that, though. the policies that they put in place that undermine families. >> senator, do you think, you know, how he was able to show how he can take on trump really helped harris land on him for a running mate? >> yeah, absolutely. listen, this is an authentic communicator. you know, this is really the guy

that j.d. vance is pretending to be. this is a good day from small town -- guy from small town america who has played by the rules, high school teacher, 25 years in the national guard, and he is not an elite. he is somebody who is, you know, that you could visit with at the hardware store. he's somebody who i bet knows how to make a good hot dish casserole in minnesota. and by the way, when he attacks, he does it joyfully. he does it with a twinkle in his eye. so he's going to be able to go after j.d. vance and donald trump in a way that is really relatable, and he's kind of in sync with the kamala harris campaign which is, you know, we're about light, we're not about darkness. we're about hope and aspiration and opportunity and freedom, not about grievance. that's the kind of guy he is. and i think probably the vice president felt that energy when she had the time to visit with

him personally and was confident that he'd be able to communicate in a way that would say to america, yeah, we're going to turn the corner and go forward to a positive place instead of back to a really ugly place. >> he was at a democratic fundraiser and the word joy came up a lot for him taking about the politics of joy, spreading joy as part of this campaign. simone, you used to work for harris. why do you think she landed on walz? >> look, it's my understanding that the vice president sense she became the candidate at the top of the ticket in this race and since she locked up the nomination being the president trump presumptive nominee -- has presumptive nominee has focused on keeping the momentum. she doesn't want any unforced errors. she's extremely focused and levelheaded about the fight in front of her. i think when it comes to the vice presidency and the pick for a running mate she herself has obviously gone through this process for president biden, and she has served and continues to

serve as his vice president. she was literally sitting in the situation room yesterday. we can set the scene which is probably why also i believe that this decision was -- is coming now and not necessarily earlier this morning because she was literally doing the work of the vice presidentsy yesterday. she knows what the president was looking for her in the situation room, and i think when she was making her decision about who she wants to potentially go on a four or eight-year ride with, that was top of mind for her. yes, chemistry is important. but just -- also people, like the gut feeling. at the end of the day, this is the first big decision that a candidate makes, the nominee of the party, whether you are republican or dominion nominee, the first -- democratic nominee, the first decision is the person you want to be number two and who is ready on day one if for any reason you can't fill the seat. >> nancy pelosi said in the last few hours that she believed the

most important pick that -- or decision, priority should be somebody who could help govern, not necessarily somebody who could help win, but somebody who would be able to be a governing partner. of course we know that tim walz had six terms in congress, this is a second term as governor which, by the way, we're watching the governor's mansion in minnesota. you've seen that gate open and close, people are coming and going this morning. we'll keep an eye on any of his movements. chuck, progressives seem to be big supporters of tim walz, bernie sanders threw his endorsement for the vp pick behind walz. and during walz's time in office he has enshrined abortion rights into state law, legalized rescue military marijuana, required paid family leave, expanded background checks for gun purchases. he's a supporter of tuition-free college and universal meals. would that help harris or give ammo to trump's claim that harris is a, quote, radical liberal? >> well, when you look at the three finalists that she

interviewed in person, it's clear walz is closer to her politics. you look at it, there's sort of -- there's a variety of ways you can look at a vp pick, you can reach another wing of the party. that's what reagan did by picking george h.w. bush doorchlt what donald trump did, he wanted to find an heir apparent, somebody who believed in his wing of the party on that front. and when you look at the three she was interviewing, two of the three arguably were to her right. walz and her share the same -- drive in the same lane. i don't think either of them are bernie sanders progressives, but i don't think either one of them are sort of joe manchin centrist either. they're in the -- where joe biden is really. and i think tim walz is a younger, you know, in that sense, a younger version of joe biden pretty much in the mainstream liberal lane of the party. but that's the question, right? who do you -- what is your

mathematics about this election? do you believe this is a turnout and excite the base and all elements of the democratic party, or do you have to win over some substantial number of centrist or even center right voters? and that was always the argument for mark kelly who could perhaps inoculate harris when it came to the border or josh shapiro who has certainly governed more as a centrist in pennsylvania than tim walz has. look, at the end of the day, it's her pick. and it does look to me like she picked somebody that she thought, number one, could defend her, number two, could articulate her vision, and it's hard to pick somebody to articulate your vision if they don't share your vision. and perhaps she didn't think that a josh shop woe would be as comfortable -- shapiro would be as comfortable as tim walz. >> i want to play more from walz himself defending his record or, you know, how he would deflect the attacks about his

progressive accomplishments. let's listen. >> what a monster, kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn. and women are making their own health care decisions, and we're a top five business state, and we also rank in the top three of happiness. look, they're going to lobel whatever they're going to label. he's going to roll it out, mispronounce names to try and make the case. the fact of the matter is where you see the policies that vice president harris was a part of making, democratic governors across the country executed those policies and quality of life is higher, the economies are better, all of those things. >> do you think that's a good defense of his record? do you think we'll hear more of that on the campaign trail? >> oh, absolutely. it is -- our own cnbc does an annual survey of states that are most friendly to business, and i think just in july they came out and minnesota was ranked sixth in the country for a good place

to do business. you know, i really am not aware of major policy differences between josh shapiro and tim walz. i think this is really about -- it's not that they were substantively different. it's a style difference. i think he is -- i think tim walz is grounded and really plainspoken in a way that i think kamala harris appreciates. that authenticity, you can't -- you can't make that up. that is who you are. i think people are going to get to know tim walz, and he's quirky, he's funny. he is -- he's clearly qualified for this job. and i think they're going to make a great team together. i do. i think this was a brilliant pick. >> not a lot of people know about tim walz outside of minnesota right now. in fact, there's this new npr pbs maris poll that showed of the americans who were surveyed,

71% said they were unsure or never heard of him, with 17% seeing him as favorable, 12% seeing him as unfavorable. but the vast majority still not really knowing who he is. josh shapiro might have more name recognition. he was seen as a frontrunner because pennsylvania's so critical to the election math. he's been part of a campaign that's led by progressives who disagree about the middle east, school vouchers and handling of a sexual harassment complaint against a former aide. do you think that weighed into her decision to go with walz instead? and do you see walz as a safer pick? >> so i'll say two things. when a candidate -- when the nominee for a party decides to vet someone, first of all the person has to say yes, they

would like to be vetted because you never want to do a deep dive on someone's life if that's not what they're interested in, if they don't want the job. two, when you go through that vetting, it is very important that the process is private. you know, i heard president biden say all the time when he was a candidate that he never wants the process to deimage someone who is in fact not picked because that is unfair to them. and i think what is so bizarre, frankly, to me in these last two weeks is the public nature of this particular process, the number of things that had seeped out about who had gotten vetting papers, who was being interviewed. we literally saw people going into the naval observatory for interviews. that is the nature of the process, it's supposed to be private by nature so that when whoever the candidate decides on, the day they do which is today and our understanding that the vice president has chosen

governor walz, that we're not having the conversation about is it because all these things came out about shapiro and was that uncomfortable for so and so, for her and whatnot. i think at the end of the day shove shapiro is a -- governor shapiro is a great governor, he would have been an excellent pick. vice president kamala harris had to make the decision. this was her decision to make. she took recommendations, if you will. there was a selection committee that also helped and did a number of interviews. then they gave recommendations to the vice president. we know former attorney general eric holder, his team went through the vetting. she got a full briefing on what they found, where she could ask her own questions. obviously had a sit-down interview with -- interview if you will, with all of the candidates. and eventually made her own decision. and so that's how the process works out. i don't think people should read too much into some of what is in -- what has been reported out there in the news about some of the things that happened in governor shapiro's past because

the nature of the decision is the vice president's alone. i think tim walz is great. he literally was a teacher. minnesota is one of the best states to do business, many large fortune 500 companies are located, headquartered right there in minnesota. and the record that he has had as governor is -- is one, frankly, that democrats would like to -- and many across the country. all in all i think it's a good day for democrats, and folks would do well not to parse out and game out if some of what was in the news is the reason governor shapiro was not picked because he is a great governor. at the end of the day it boils down to how someone feels about the person sitting in fronts of them and the working relationship they want to have for at least four years. >> we just are seeing the first texts from the harris campaign announcing this confirmed ticket now, kamala harris and tim walz.

she writes, from her, kamala harris, and that tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for minnesota families. i know he will bring the same principled leadership to our campaign and to the office of the vice president. he asks people for donations to the ticket. chuck, it has happened so quickly. just a couple of weeks really when president biden said he was stepping aside from the campaign and endorsed kamala harris. it was just last night when weather she became the official -- where she became the official nominee for the democrats. didn't have much time to do the vetting, to think about her vp selection necessarily. what do you see as the impact of that condensed timeline? is it helpful, or are there risks to it? >> well, certainly there are risks if you speed through any process, vetting process, you know, going through -- i do think the people she was considering are people that had sort of been through various

wringers. there's nothing like the presidential wringer, but mark kelly who had been in really the public life since the mid '90s as an astronaut. you have a two-term governor and a former six -- three-term member of congress in tim walz. arguably josh shapiro probably had the thinnest of the political resumes of the final three there. so you know -- look, i think the -- the condensed timeline sort of focuses the pained, makes i think -- shows that harris is making quick decisions. i think that's something voters look for, are you decisive? do you sit -- she didn't -- you know, in that sense, she says not postponing or handwringing or certainly letting it drift abit in public. i would argue joe biden let this

running mate process drift out for quite some time. all of the final nominees certainly went through the wringer and then some, and maybe -- maybe unforgivingly so. so you could argue that this quicker timeline was better for all the finalists. it really only showcased more of their positives than their negatives. >> i just noticed that harris changed her x wallpaper to show harris-walz. if you are following along on social media, this is happening in real time. former senator claire mccaskill, symone sanders-townsend, chuck todd. please stay close. with us maura barrett outside governor walz's home in st. paul, minnesota. there's a crowd we can see outside the house there. what are his neighbors saying, and how are people reacting to this news? >> reporter: the energy here is palpable. the crowd outside his home is getting bigger and bigger.

people snapping selfies, neighbors biking by, congregating, waiting to see if they get a chance to see the first of the next -- kamala harris' vice presidential pick, excuse me. and i will say as i spent last week here in minnesota talking to people, and they recognized minnesota -- minnesotans have always liked walz. he does really well with democrats and republicans. so there's been a lot of excitement here locally. but they acknowledge he might not have been as well-known on the national stage. either way, the excitement here being translated. we'll hear some ideas and thoughts that we've spoken with with folks out here today. >> he's so down to earth. i'm a teacher like he was. there's something about teachers that get things, i think. and they can just talk to people. >> i want to say surprised but not surprised because he is the perfect person for the job. he is just such a person of integrity and stability.

he provides the level. unification that our country desperately needs right now. >> reporter: in terms of walz's record here in minnesota, as governor he's been very productive in the last few years because there's been a democratic held trifecta. he's been able to pass a lot of laws. he signed laws protecting abortion rights, reproductive rights here in minnesota, along with legalizing recreational marijuana, restricting gun access, also putting into protection for trans youth when it comes to gender-affirming care. a lot of those progressive ideals that we've seen on the democratic side. in the same vein, democratic strategists tell me because of his background, he taught in mankato, 0 miles south of here, he refers to republicans as his neighbors. i got access to a fundraiser in minneapolis where walz spoke, and he noted republicans are our neighbors, we need to bring them in. we need to make sure that they have someone to be excited for when they don't feel that trump

and vance, for example, are speaking to them. democratic strategists tell me he can be a good foil for vance given that he also comes from a rural background and has that experience working with his neighbors and really relating to them almost in the way more of these strategists point out that vance can now because walz still very much lives that lifestyle is what i'm told. so the big key thing here is that he is from the midwest, he's able to bring in folks on both sides. the question remains to see if he can do that in a wisconsin or a michigan, but obviously that's what we'll see coming up in the campaign trail as harris starts to make her tour of the battleground states this week. >> and he has support there in minnesota, clearly. the hometown crowd likes what they're hearing this morning. harris-walz, that background we showed you on harris' social media is also now on tim walz's social media as the backdrop. and just another inkling of his midwestern appeal, his folksiness, if you will. he writes in his bio on social media on x, running to win this

thing with kamala harris. want to bring back nbc's reporter in philadelphia, and i understand you have new reporting about the call from vice president harris to walz. what can you tell us? >> reporter: that's right. the call has officially been made. vice president harris called minnesota governor tim walz to ask him to be her running mate. he accepted, i'm told quickly, not a surprise here. of course, he seems very excited based on all the new logos, the new messaging being rolled out. this is a campaign now that feels yet again reigvision rated because theyle -- reinvigorated because they feel walz can elevate the ticket. i want to read what i'm hearing from sources, and things are moving fast. i'll read some of what they said. his executive experience was a strong accomplishment. they thought he was god things like gunmen safety and codify -- gun safety and codifieding roe v. wade. he had great chemistry with the vice president. they looked at who he was as a

person -- a football coach, a hunter and gun owner, someone with deep connections to hurricane america and a veteran in the national guard. all of that really added to sort of the appeal of tim walz. i was told that the fact this he debuted that "weird" line, the fact that he was calling republicans and former donald trump and j.d. vance weird that that was something that was seen as him being an effective messenger, someone who could communicate directly. and of course we saw the campaign, the harris campaign, take up that messaging and start calling them weird and start having emails with the headlines that said something like j.d. vance is a creep. that's the messaging that we've been hearing. that is follow, and tim walz is -- the example he was setting out. that also worked in his favor. they said there was a strong personal rapport here. that she felt confident in him. i had been hearing that she wanted someone who would have her back, someone who was going to also be ready to attack republicans when the need was ready, when the need was there, someone who could be a bulldog, but someone ready to be

president on day one. someone who had executive experience who could step into the job of president if required. they found all those things in tim walz. the call has been made. they're talking, they did talk. it's off to the races now. we're going to see him in philadelphia in a couple of hours. we're going to see a raucous democratic party feeling finally settled after weeks and months of uncertainty. first with the president dropping out, then with kamala harris becoming the official democratic nominee in the last 24 hours, and now having her running mate. >> keep on keeping on your reporting. i want to read from kamala harris' instagram. "i am proud to announce that i have asked governor walz to be my running mate. one of the things that stood out to me about tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle-class families run deep. it's personal. he grew up in a small town in nebraska, spending summers working on his family's farm. his father died of cancer when he was 19, and his family relied

on social security survivor benefit checks to make ends meet. at 17, he enlisted in the national guard, serving for 24 years. he used his g.i. bill benefits to college and become a teacher. he served as both the football coach and the adviser of the gay-straight alliance. i share this background both because it's impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record. he worked with republicans to pass infrastructure investments. he cut taxes for working families. he passed a law to provide paid family and medical leave to minnesota families. he made minnesota the first state in the country to pass a law providing constitutional abortion protections after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade and as an avid hunter passed a bill requiring universal background checks for gun purchases. she goes on to say, what impressed me most about tim is his deem commitment to his family.

gen, gus, and hope. doug and i look forward to building an administration that reflects our shared values. she puts out his bio on instagram this morning, talking about his roots and what he's bringing to the harris-walz ticket. joining us, somebody who knows both senator, former senator kamala harris, now vp kamala harris. now presidential candidate kamala harris, as well as governor tim walz. and thank you, senator amy klobuchar, for joining us to first give your reaction to this big announcement. >> well, this is just fantastic. for minnesota, of course, but most importantly for the country. tim is someone that you got to understand this guy -- very unique in modern day politics, coming out of a small town in nebraska on a farm, met his wife there. ends up teaching in mankato, minnesota, my husband's hometown.

and i go so far back with tim that my mother-in-law brought a parmesan chicken dinner to their home when their son was born, gus. that is a true story, which he always did when families would have children. and he then goes on to be a high school football coach, once described as a burley high school football coach, which i think for me is a great description of what we need right now to take on donald trump. he then heads to running for congress in a district that he wins that only in 100 years has only had two democrats. so you have to know how to bring people detective to do that, to bring together people from the right, the middle, and the left. and that's what he's done as governor. and he is -- has this sense of optimism that is just unending. gets our state through the pandemic, in his red plaid shirt, and bringing people together as one minnesota. so i -- i cannot tell you how

promising this is going to be for our nation, how positive this is, what a fantastic choice when you look at someone. not many vps have stood in a deer stand in ten-degree weather. tim walz has done that. he can handle anything. >> that remind me of when you made your announcement to run in 2020 in that snowstorm. and a lot of people -- >> yes, he was there. yes. >> were looking to you and just saying, wow, she's tough. i wonder given your personal relationship if you've had a chance to speak with governor walz this morning since this decision? >> well, i didn't talk to him this morning, but i talked to him late last night and was able to see him. we did one last event in minnesota. in his typical way, he used no notes, unscripted. looked at the crowd, would have loved to dive right in there but had a few other thins to do. at one point the band took the microphone off by mistake, and

tim was helping me to find the microphone so we could start the event. i'm telling you, he is humble as they come. he is just someone that is just almost -- you want to be around him and talk to him. we had gwen and tim over on new year's day for lunch. my husband and i did. just because they're really a great, great couple, as well. and i can't wait for the nation to see that. >> and you mentioned being at that democratic fundraiser with governor walz last night. and you talked about how the nation's getting to see this man that you and others there in minnesota have come to love and you talk about his roots, his humble roots, how he worked his way up as a teacher, as a veteran, as somebody who's been a servant to the country in every possible way. you say he went to congress for a rural district, now as governor of your proud state. he's talked about bringing joy to the ticket, to the political

just calculus and conversation in general. what does that look like in practice? the politics of joy? >> yes, so to me this looks like a ticket, and you can sure say this about vice president harris and this incredible last few weeks where people have just thanks to president biden's extraordinary decision, selfless decision. but people are just positive. she's got thousands and thousands of people showing up at rallies. and she has that incredible way of saying, okay, things aren't easy, there's a lot of challenges out there. but we can get through this as a country. that's what they have in common in a big way. that's what tim walz has been like as governor where he said, i know this is a tough time now, in the middle of the pandemic, but we're going to get through this. and now cnbc ranked our state as sixth in the country for doing business. he is someone that brings that

same positive effervescence to our country. and i just think to imagine that we can get in a better place when it comes to childcare and housing and bringing prescription drugs down, something that tim walz worked on a state level, kamala harris worked on a national level. you've got to see and bring people with you to see that you can get there. and that idea of unifying our country, you can't get there unless you are able to show that you really mean it, and that you have the track record of doing it. and that's something that tim walz is going to bring to this tick net a big, big way. >> how does he defend against the attacks that are already coming from the trump campaign? calling him an open border zealot, saying he's weak on violent crime, saying that he let the minneapolis police department's police headquarters burn down during the george floyd protest? so we now see where they're

headed with attacking this new ticket. what's the best defense? >> i first of all see tim walz the veteran. i see someone that always puts his country first. in the case of the violence that erupted after the tragic murder of george floyd, tim walz did call in the national guard, and he stood by that decision despite getting some grief for it. i see someone that has stood with law enforcement and someone that has opposed the defund the police measure that was actually on the ballot in minneapolis. and i also opposed it, but tim walz was right out front there opposing that. i think all of these facts -- i'm actually -- i remember the days where maybe you spent a day welcoming someone to the ticket. i guess that's not donald trump. but the point is is that you've got someone in tim walz when you look for a vice president, i know a little about this, minnesota's a state of vice presidenting, humphrey, mondale, moms bounce their babies on

their knees and say one day you can grow up to be vice president. what kamala harris is giving the nation with tim walz is someone, one who's incredibly smart and someone who is lead and bring people with us. he knew that as a football coach, he knew that as a member of our military. she is also getting someone she can trust. i know him as a friend. he's someone you can trust, and you want that governing our nation. and then she's bringing in someone that brings some other interests and other areas of expertise. you know, he is someone that served on the agriculture committee, the house of representatives. he's someone that served on the armed services, someone that those are the things that he chose to focus on when he got to the congress, which is going to be incredibly important, particularly in the midwest, in states like wisconsin and in michigan. >> senator amy klobuchar, thank you very much for providing us your insights and taking the time to speak with us and react to this announcement this

morning. good to have you here. now i'm joined by nbc's national political correspondent steve kornacki. we know walz won his seat in 2022 as he campaigned for governor. what can you tell us about how that informs the bigger picture here with the election? >> yeah, sure. what you're hearing from a lot of democrats is the hope that tim walz can help them next door from minnesota in wisconsin. this is the edge of the u.p., michigan here and pennsylvania, as well. of course the reason those three states are vital, they went trump '16, biden 2020. in pennsylvania, wisconsin, and michigan, have large populations of blue-collar white voters who moved in the republican direction, moved in the trump direction, really starting in 2016. so the question with walz and the hope for democrats is has he demonstrated in minnesota a state that is very similar demographically to those other three? it's more democratic, but it's

similar demographically. has he demonstrated an ability to reach those voters that other democrats haven't? and take a look here, you see tim walz's 2022 victory as governor. eight-point win over his republican opponent. i want to show what went into that. when you look at minnesota, what you're looking at is the majority of the population is right here in the twin cities, twin cities metro area. everything outside of this is what they call greater minnesota. and the divide in minnesota demographically is when you get into the twin city areas, that's where you get -- we talk about this all the time -- white voters with college degrees, with higher incomes, suburban, metropolitan areas, areas that are becoming more and more intensely democratic both in minnesota, and nationally where democrats have been losing supports in minnesota and elsewhere, is in greater minnesota. places like greater minnesota. lot of rural areas here, a lot of small towns. and you're seeing a lot of red here. now did in greater minnesota tim

walz demonstrate strength that democrats haven't -- i'll show you, let's compare it. look at this, one of these eye chart tests. you see walz by eight statewide, you see what this looks like. i'm going call up the biden map in 2020. that was supposed to be more dramatic. here it is. if you remember what you were looking at before, this looks virtually identical. the total here, the margin, and what this map looks like. when you look at what tim walz actually pulled off to get elected, to get re-elected in 2022, it's the biden model demographically, regionally. you go county by county, there's not much variance between how walz did and how biden did. walz ran up huge numbers. look at this -- this is the biggest county in the state, hennepin county, minneapolis here. walz ran up huge numbers, biden ran up huge numbers. in minnesota look at stearns counties here. walz lost this by 23 points. what did biden lose it by?

23 points. and this is the kind of county, by the way, in minnesota and across the midwest here that democrats are hoping walz will help them with. look, let's go back in time here. once upon a time just a dozen years ago, democrats weren't winning a county like this. but look, barack obama was able to get 43% of the vote here. basically run just over ten points behind mitt romney. obama was able to do that in a county like stearns, and he was able to do that in counties like this all over the midwest. wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania. you see that fell off the cliff for democrats with clinton, with biden, and there's walz, his tally in this county right between where biden and clinton's was. so the walz victory in 2022 looks like what is now a standard democratic victory in minnesota. heavy reliance on the twin cities, metro area, and taking big losses in greater minnesota. the democrats hope is that he's going to appeal to the blue-collar areas and other three states, maybe we will. when you look at what he's done

in minnesota, you don't quite see that. >> minnesota isn't a swing state. hasn't voted for a republican for president since the 1970s. you point out his potential to help them in other states that are key to that path to 270. >> that's the -- look, remember, minnesota not a swing state, although 2016 it was 2.5 points. before joe biden dropped out of the rate, there was polling indicating that minnesota might be heading back into that -- again, minnesota just a to call this map up here, it's not as much of a swing state certainly as a wisconsin, michigan, or pennsylvania. why? because there's a few -- the share of the electorate that is white and college educated, that's the very heavily democratic trending group. it's higher in minnesota, by about five points than it is in those other states. so it gives democrats an edge in minnesota that they don't have elsewhere. again, that edge is most pronounced in the twin cities metro area.

and again, that is where you're seeing stearns county here, but it was this metro area where walz ran up the score to win as he did. where biden ran up the score and win as he did. it's greater minnesota -- democrats, if you're thinking he's going to help with voters you're losing in wisconsin, pennsylvania, and michigan, those areas are similar to greater minnesota. and you just didn't see in 2022 walz do anything there that biden wasn't doing himself. >> all right. steve kornacki, thank you so much for breaking it down for us just like that. and we will soon get to hear his message and the vice president's message to voters in minnesota and voters all around the country in their big event tonight where they'll appear together in philadelphia. and we also are going to be listening to some counter programming from the republican ticket today, also in pennsylvania with vice presidential candidate j.d. vance set to speak to reporters in philadelphia at noon today,

just hours before kamala harris and tim walz hold their first joint rally there. this morning vance boarded the blaine to philadelphia amid shouts asking him about the choice of walz and if they will debate. still an x factor. in fact, vance plans to shadow harris and walz across the country, planning stops in michigan and wisconsin where they'll be tomorrow, as well. for more on this, i want to bring in nbc's vaughn hillyard and columnist and msnbc contributor charlie sykes. vaughn, a ton of attention on walz today obviously in this announcement. what are we expecting from the trump camp? >> i think number one, let's look at minnesota and ohio. the two states where the respective vp candidates are from. the two states between them are michigan and wisconsin. donald trump choosing the americaner, and that's what -- midwesterner, and that's what kamala harris has decided to do. but will see vance and trump at his mar-a-lago estate, he has a rally coming up in boseman,

montana, friday night. j.d. vance is going to be following the ticket around. they're not rallies, but he's going to deliver remarks to press cameras here. i think from the initial statement from donald trump's campaign, it's interesting the points that they point out. quote from the trump campaign statement, from proposing his own carbon-free agenda to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, walz is obsessed with spreading california's dangerously liberal agenda far and wide. the mention about the carbon emissions standards, right? in the state of minnesota where he's been governor life four years he enacted legislation that will require the utility grid to go to carbon neutral standards by 2040. these are policies that i don't think in a debate against j.d. vance that tim walz or the democratic ticket are going to run from. so really i think the american public from not only has four years as governor of minnesota but also his 12 years in congress, there's going to be a stark contrast between the democratic ticket and the republican ticket that the

american public is going to decide between in very clear terms. ones that i don't think you should see governor walz run from before the american public in these final 100 days. >> we played the clip where he leaned in saying, okay, you're going to have a chance to live where we're working to reduce carbon emissions, kids can go to college, personal income tax are higher. if that's the acushion, count me -- accusation, counts me in. just as they've talked about the other things kamala harris has done on that issue going after the drug cartels as former attorney general of california. as far as what you just said about vance and his plans on the trail in tandem in many ways with this new democratic ticket, you mentioned remarks to the press is what we see on his official event schedule that's puts out. is that -- that's put out. is that it or is he having events with voters? >> we do not have exact answers.

let's be clear. rallies are more expensive to put on, and this is now going to be a decision of resources for both campaigns on how they do this. and there is a recognition from the trump campaign that this is the democrats' time. there's still three months and ahead of the democratic national convention, this vp news is going to air across the local news markets across the country. and that is where you see j.d. vance at least going to michigan and wisconsin, pennsylvania, and at least providing counter remarks that local papers, local news are going to play to. but i think that this is also going to be a real decision points here for the trump campaign about how they posture. there are several key battleground states. as you and steve were talking about, minnesota is like a state like virginia where they thought they could make a play. there are internal conversations taking that are going to take place about where they can best idlize their resources -- utilize their resources and to ultimately win this ticket. >> charlie, i'm curious to get

your thoughts on this pick, tim walz along with kamala harris, and how you feel that stacks up against the trump-j.d. vance ticket. >> well, look, i mean, one of the big questions we have is does this ultimately make a difference, do people actually ever vote for the number two? look, tim walz has a very impressive biography. he is a gifted communicator, and i think he's going to present himself as a -- to most voters who are not familiar with him as a compelling personality. but deep breath here, this was not a safe pick. josh shapiro seeped like the obvious pick for two reasons. number one, pennsylvania is the key swing state with 19 electoral votes. josh shapiro would be able to appeal to centrists. obviously the decisions has been made here has been to go with the strategy of making sure you take care of the base and base enthusiasts as opposed to reaching out to centrists.

now kamala harris may do this, may do this in other ways, but there was a -- you know, basically an internal battle between the people who said what the ticket needs to do is move to the center versus those who say no, let's go with the more progressive bernie-like candidate. now whether or not he will present that way is not clear. but josh shapiro, and i have to say that i think you're going to get a lot of attention on the process here. again, because josh shapiro was such an obvious choice, but was the subject of a vicious online attack from the left for his views on israel. and i want to point out that his views on israel are not substantially different than any of the other candidates except that josh shapiro is jewish. i think there's going to be some question did they blink, were they influenced or over influenced by the excessively online anti-israeli left in order to get rid of josh shapiro.

i think there's the potential of a backlash from some jewish voters. but in the end, again, this may not matter. a couple of weeks for now we'll be focused on the top of the ticket as we always are, and obviously j.d. vance is not -- officers not a great choice. one of the things i will admit that i'm uplooking forward to is i think that tim walz and j.d. vance will have one hell of a debate. i think that walz will do very well. >> quickly if you will, you have walz from minnesota, vance from ohio. two midwestern states. what do you make of these two running mates? do they each serve the ticket well? we've obviously seen some of the controversy around j.d. vance recently, and if you're mentioning we'll be talking about the top of the ticket, j.d. vance has been getting a lot of attention actually since trump picked him. >> yeah, there's buyer's remorse. it's not obvious to me what he brings. on paper i suppose the trump campaign is thinking that j.d. vance will appeal to white working class voters in places

like michigan, pennsylvania, and wisconsin, as well. i think the weirdness may drown that out. tim walz i think -- you know, is not that well-known in a place like wisconsin. but again, on paper should be able to appeal to that beer track voter as opposed to the wine track voter, kind of the working class rural white voters who have been drifting away from the republican party. i have to say that steve kornacki's analysis where he pointed out that that has not happened in minnesota ought to give one pause. but again, you know, running for president or vice president is very, very different than running for governor, and the spotlight will be much brighter, and tim walz will have much wider scope to present himself to these voters. >> all right, charlie sykes and vaughn hillyard, thank you so much for joining us. . next we'll speak with a former congressman who knows tim walz as well as the mayor of minneapolis. stay with us.

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we're back with more on the breaking news. tim walz accepting the offer to be kamala harris' running mate. we're getting some reaction from governor josh schapiro. over the next 92 days, i look forward to traveling across the commonwealth to unite pennsylvanias behind kamala harris' campaign to defeat donald trump, become the 47th president of the united states and build a better future for our country. while arizona senator mark kelly said vice president harris and governor tim walz are going to move us forward. walz calling himself the honor of a lifetime saying he is all in. joining us now is minneapolis mayor jacob fray, who has worked closely with governor walz. thank you for joining us, mayor.

what do you think walz brings to the table? >> enthusiasm and optimism. people are excited about presidents and i know that governor walz will add extraordinarily well to the ticket. he's someone that is really gad on the stump. he's a teacher, a football coach, he managed a cafeteria, he's a congressman, a governor. i was proud to be one of the first people to get on board when he ran for governor. i'm proud to be with him today. this is an exciting time, and i think there's a lot of optimism in the air. >> the trump campaign is trying to paint them as a dangerous liberal combination. do you think that's fair? >> first of all, look at the record. he's been a common sense governor. he's gotten things that quite simply improve people's lives done. we're talking about the child tax credit, we're talking about affordable housing, we're

talking about women's reproductive rights. these aren't extremist views. they are views that a strong majority of people throughout the united states share. when you put that beautiful combination of president kamala harris together with vice president walz, that's a combination that, i believe, can lead the country in the right direction. like i said, there's a lot of optimism in the air right now. i think governor walz is the kind of person that can bring a lot of people together. obviously, he's got experience working on both urban and rural issues. he was a rural congressman himself. and i think he's also going to be able to speak to middle america in a way that few are able to. >> walz has faced criticism for the handling of the protests following the death of george floyd. one republican senator saying walz, quote, froze under pressure. what's your response to that?

>> here's the thing. yo know who wasn't helpful during 2020? donald trump. if you remember what he was doing during that time, he was tweeting out when the looting starts the shooting starts. we need people that will calm the situation down. we need people that aren't going to add more fuel to the fire, especially when tensions are flamed. they can say what they want, but hindsight is 20/20. not just the eyesight, but the year. foresight, we're talking madame president and vice president walz, and i'm excited. >> jacob fray, thank you for joining us. now with us, "new york times" chief white house correspondent and msnbc contributor peter baker. and former republican congressman from pennsylvania charlie dent. it's good to have you both here. they have landed on a final decision this morning.

take us inside this decision. what are you learning? >> what's remarkable is she had very little time to make this decision, to do the kind of vetting and the kind of consulting that presidential candidate would normally have. presidential candidate would normally have gone through the paces of the primaries themselves and had a couple months to make this decision. she had a couple weeks. so she had to figure out quickly who she was comfortable with, and who might not hurt her. i think the number one rule in making a vice presidential pick if you look back at history is do no harm. most running mates may not help you. history doesn't suggest that most of them do, but they can hurt you. you don't want to pick somebody that you have to explain or defend from the outset. that's what clearly has driven her decision here. we learned about kamala harris. she's essentially a cautious person. she wants to make the choice that she thinks is going to be

the one that causes least harm and may help her. >> congressman dent, walz was your colleague in the house. you mentioned how he was there for over a decade. you guys had a chance to work together on some legislation. what's your reaction to his pick? >> i thought the smart obvious choice was josh schapiro. i served with tim walz. we spent time together in afghanistan. he was very interested in veterans issues, armed services, agricultural issues. i wouldn't call him a progressive like some are. he's not a wild eyed progressive. he represented a district that leaned republican, so he had to have some good political judgment to represent a district like that. but steve kornacki put up

something interesting. schapiro won pennsylvania in areas with donald trump did well. and walz, he won the same areas that biden had won. so it struck me that pennsylvania is the entire game, how you get crossover voters, that's why schapiro was the obvious choice. that said, walz maybe they believe that walz would be able to help her specifically in wisconsin and michigans perhaps more than schapiro could. republicans made as mistake in selecting jd vance. he didn't bring trump anything he didn't already have. the question is what does walz bring. i just didn't see that. that's why i thought schapiro was the smarter choice. i'm sure he will be a smart and loyal running mate. >> what do you expect the dynamics to be like with tim walz and kamala harris? what was his reputation in

congress? tell us about the texture of the man. >> he was a sergeant in the national guard. he's kind of a folksy guy, friendly, nice guy. he's very down to earth he has this midwestern modesty about him. he's a teacher. i got the sense that most of his colleagues really liked and respected him. i don't think anybody is going to be looking for skeletons saying this is a bad man. everybody is going to have to acknowledge he's a decent and honorable person. whether or not he provides more ticket to the ticket remains to be seen. i think a safe pick in many ways. but again, nobody votes for number two. the question is what can a number two to help on the margins. >> peter, walz was seen as a more progressive choice among the vp contenders. does that suggest that the harris camp is ditching some of the conventional wisdom that

they needed a centrist to withstand trump attacks? >> it's possible. it nails down perhaps the progressive base that had been ub comfortable with president biden for a variety of reasons and has gotten more excited since harris became the nominee. it's more more a matter of i have toment colt back to the idea of the safe choice. there's a lot to be gained there in the sense that if you feel like pennsylvania is the key to all this. history suggests that a home state running mate doesn't help you that much. it's close enough that not much would be enough. she'd have to explain a couple things with regard to him including his past comments about the me too issue in his office. you don't want to have to explain your running mate. you want somebody who can come off and impress people and then basically fade into the woodwork

as they do their smaller market, mid-market campaigning while the head of the ticket is the real draw. i think that we'll see whether walz passes that test. if there are things that he has to explain, we'll find out. they decided he was the safe choice and didn't want to take a chance. >> thank you very much. we'll keep an eye on the images outside governor walz house right now in minnesota, as we prepare to see movement shortly as he gets ready to join kamala harris on the campaign trail with a big rally expected tonight in philadelphia. stay with us for our continuing coverage here on msnbc. i'll see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place. jose diaz-balart picks up our coverage now. good morning, 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. we begin this hour with the

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