| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels and Garrett Ross | Presented by the Brennan Center for Justice | | 
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is VP Kamala Harris' pick to join her on the Democratic ticket. | Stephen Maturen/AFP via Getty Images | |  | THE TICK-TOCK | | Just more than two weeks after President JOE BIDEN ended his own presidential effort and thrust VP KAMALA HARRIS to the top of the Democratic Party, Harris has chosen her own No. 2: Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ will be her running mate. What made the difference in Walz’s favor? In a story that just posted, Eugene, Elena Schneider, Holly Otterbein and Chris Cadelago write that when Harris and Walz sat down on Sunday for their one-on-one meeting at the Naval Observatory, they didn’t have much of a relationship, according to multiple people involved with the vetting process. By the end, Harris came away impressed and, frankly, just really liked him. Ultimately, four main things sealed it for Walz:
- His governing experience. Walz served in Congress and is now in his second term as governor, where he has racked up accomplishments at the state level that Harris wants to replicate in her presidency — including on access to reproductive health care, paid leave, child tax credits and gun safety. More on his views from the POLITICO team
- His bio. Walz is a former high school teacher, football coach, hunter and veteran who flipped a Republican-leaning House district in 2006 — which Harris believes will play well in the industrial Midwestern “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. More on that from Myah Ward
- His messaging abilities. Walz is seen by Harris’ camp as a deft messenger, popularizing “weird” as a messaging framework to describe former President DONALD TRUMP and Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) — a cutting and clear tagline that went viral over the last two weeks.
- Their rapport. We’re told that Harris and Walz clicked more than she did with either of the other finalists.
Why not Shapiro? By contrast, Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO’s team felt that his own interview with Harris did not go as well as it could have. There was “not a great feeling” coming out of it, according to a person in touch with Shapiro’s advisers. A person familiar with the selection process told our colleagues that, after their meeting on Sunday, Shapiro called Harris’ team and made clear that he was “struggling with the decision to leave his current job as governor, in order to seek the vice presidency.” THE TIMELINE … We’re told that Harris’ team initially cast a wide net that included as many as a dozen names of potential running mates. But that group quickly narrowed to about nine candidates who were asked to be officially vetted: Walz, Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. ANDY BESHEAR, Arizona Sen. MARK KELLY, Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG, Illinois Gov. JB PRITZKER, Maryland Gov. WES MOORE, Commerce Secretary GINA RAIMONDO and New Mexico Gov. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM. The vetting team was led by campaign chair JEN O’MALLEY DILLON, campaign chief of staff SHEILA NIX, former AG ERIC HOLDER, former White House counsel DANA REMUS and TONY WEST, Harris’ brother-in-law and a former top official in the Justice Department. The team met with at least six of the candidates over Zoom last week, including Walz, Shaprio, Beshear, Kelly, Buttigieg and Pritzker. The vetting ended on Thursday with Holder and Remus putting together their findings for a panel of Harris confidantes. That panel included former Labor Secretary MARTY WALSH, Harris campaign adviser CEDRIC RICHMOND and Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-Nev.). They interviewed the candidates again on Friday. On Saturday, the panel, joined by Harris’ White House chief of staff LORRAINE VOLES, briefed Harris on their findings, discussing each candidate for about an hour to 90 minutes. By that afternoon, Shapiro, Kelly and Walz were invited to the Naval Observatory for one-on-one meetings with Harris, described as a “chemistry test.” Harris told staff on Sunday that she wanted to sleep on it, a person involved in the vetting told POLITICO, adding that Harris made the decision yesterday and told a small set of staff Monday evening. Harris’ campaign staff was preparing for the possibility that any one of the finalists could be picked. Beginning Sunday, staff prepared videos, messaging memos, stump speeches and website graphics for all three men. The also-rans lined up to back the decision, with Shapiro, Pritzker, Beshear and Buttigieg all signaling support for Walz. More from Jared Mitovich Rep. NANCY PELOSI (D-Calif.), who was speaker during much of Walz’s congressional stint, said the Minnesotan is “wonderful” and that she knows him well. “To characterize him as ‘left’ is so unreal,” she said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today. “He’s right down the middle. He’s a ‘heartland of America’ Democrat.” The Walz pick also earned the praise of progressive Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) and centrist Sen. JOE MANCHIN (I-W.Va.), NBC’s Sahil Kapur notes. Clicker: “55 Things to Know About Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ Pick for VP,” by Anusha Mathur for POLITICO Magazine The brass tacks: “Harris has picked her running mate. What happens next?” by Zach Montellaro and Steve Shepard On the record: “How Tim Walz could help Harris connect with veterans,” by Connor O’Brien and Eric Bazail-Eimil … “Tim Walz Has Championed Climate as Governor,” by NYT’s Coral Davenport How he got here: “Tim Walz’s journey from high school football coach to VP candidate,” by WaPo’s Amy Wang and Sabrina Rodriguez … “From a Mankato classroom to the White House: Harris to name Walz her vice presidential nominee,” by The Minnesota Reformer’s J. Patrick Coolican History maker?: “Harris victory would clear the way for first Native woman governor,” by Irie Sentner HE DID IT AGAIN — “A trademark lawyer sold the domain name ClintonKaine.com in 2016. He’s sitting on HarrisWalz.com now,” by AP’s Dan Merica Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. What do you think about the Walz pick? Drop us a line at edaniels@politico.com and gross@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the Brennan Center for Justice: Supreme Court reform is an issue whose time has come. Public trust in the Supreme Court has plunged to the lowest level ever recorded, and term limits for the justices has broad bipartisan support. Congress must take action to establish 18-year term limits and bring regular turnover to the bench. The result? A Court with more legitimacy that better reflects American values. No one should have that much power for life. Learn more about term limits. | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) is locked in a bruising primary fight. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | 1. WHAT TO WATCH TONIGHT: It’s (primary) Election Day in America. Today’s marquee matchup has gotten plenty of ink, with Rep. CORI BUSH (D-Mo.) trying to hang on to her St. Louis-area perch amid a primary challenge from prosecutor WESLEY BELL. The contest has been bitter as it has evolved into something of a proxy fight between two wings of the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas war. Here’s what else to keep an eye on, via our colleague Madison Fernandez:
- In Kansas: Republican Rep. JAKE LaTURNER’s departure sprung a surprise primary in the 2nd District, which has expanded into a crowded field of Republicans jockeying to succeed him. Frontrunners include former state AG DEREK SCHMIDT, JEFF KAHRS and SHAWN TIFFANY. Former Democratic Rep. NANCY BOYDA is looking to make a comeback here, though she’ll face an uphill climb in the deep-red district. There’s also a battleground House race in the 3rd District, a seat that Biden won by around 5 points in 2020.
- In Michigan: The Senate primaries are the top-of-mind contests in the Wolverine State, but we would be shocked if the general election matchup isn’t Dem Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN vs. former GOP Rep. MIKE ROGERS. Down the ballot, there are a handful of battleground House primaries on the docket. One of the most competitive down-ballot contests here is in the 8th District, a seat the Biden narrowly won in 2020. Other battleground races will tee off in the 3rd, 7th and 10th districts. We’ll also be watching Rep. SHRI THANEDAR’s primary in the 13th district, where he faces Detroit City Councilor MARY WATERS.
- In Missouri: Aside from Bush vs. Bell, there’s a contentious GOP primary to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. MIKE PARSON. Trump is playing in this race, but pulled a familiar gambit: He endorsed the three frontrunners, all but certainly guaranteeing him a win. Democrats are also watching a Senate primary, where LUCAS KUNCE is favored to win for the chance to take on GOP Sen. JOSH HAWLEY this fall. There’s also a crowded and expensive GOP primary in the 3rd District, an open, deep-red seat currently held by retiring Republican Rep. BLAINE LUETKEMEYER.
- In Washington: There’s an open gubernatorial seat here in the Evergreen State to succeed outgoing Dem Gov. JAY INSLEE. AG BOB FERGUSON is the favorite and party-backed Democrat, while former GOP Rep. DAVE REICHERT is also a favorite to secure a spot out of the all party, top-two primary. Elsewhere, Rep. MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ, one of the most vulnerable House Dems, faces off against two Republicans in the 3rd District, which Trump carried by around 4 points.
2. MARKET REBOUND: “Stocks Rebound After a Day of Wild Selling Worldwide,” by NYT’s River Akira Davis: “In Japan, where the losses on Monday were largest, stocks bounced higher. The Nikkei 225 index rose 10.2 percent after plunging 12.4 percent the day before. That was the benchmark index’s biggest one-day point decline, larger than the plunge during the Black Monday crash in October 1987. Stocks in South Korea, which were also down more than 10 percent at one point on Monday, regained just over 3 percent. In Taiwan, where shares had also declined, stocks turned higher. Markets in Europe were subdued on Tuesday, fluctuating between gains and losses. On Wall Street, futures pointed to a small gain when U.S. markets open, in choppy trading.” 3. GRIN AND BEAR IT: The utterly bizarre story about ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. dumping a dead bear in Central Park has “overshadowed a decidedly more serious challenge” for the long-shot presidential hopeful, NYT’s Jesse McKinley, Chelsia Rose Marcius and Emma Fitzsimmons write. Kennedy is facing “a court case in Albany brought by a group of voters trying to have him removed from the ballot, arguing Mr. Kennedy used a false address on tens of thousands of nominating petitions. The case, which began on Monday, is being backed by Clear Choice, a Democrat-aligned political action committee that is trying to keep Mr. Kennedy off the ballot.” Kennedy is expected to testify in the case today.
| | | | During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more. | | | | | 4. FOR YOUR RADAR: “EPA takes emergency action to stop use of dangerous pesticide,” by WaPo’s Maxine Joselow: “For the first time in 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken emergency action to stop the use of a pesticide linked to serious health risks for unborn babies. Tuesday’s emergency order applies to dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal, an herbicide used on crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. When pregnant farmworkers and others are exposed to the pesticide, their babies can experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, which are linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ and impaired motor skills later in life.” 5. STACKING CHIPS: “World’s Five Leading Chipmakers Have Now Promised U.S. Investment,” by NYT’s Ana Swanson and Madeleine Ngo: “The Biden administration said on Tuesday that it would award up to $450 million in grants to a South Korean chipmaker, SK Hynix, to help build its new chip facility in Indiana, in what officials described as a milestone in rebuilding the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry. With the announcement, the United States now has commitments from all five of the world’s leading-edge semiconductor manufacturers to construct chip plants in the United States with financial assistance from the administration.” 6. AFTERNOON READ: The Atlantic’s Caitlin Dickerson goes to the deadly Darién Gap to capture a snapshot of the harrowing journey that hundreds of thousands of migrants undertake in an effort to reach the U.S. “Each year, Panamanian authorities remove dozens of bodies from the jungle. Far more are swallowed up by nature. These deaths are the result not only of extreme conditions, but also of the flawed logic embraced by the U.S. and other wealthy nations: that by making migration harder, we can limit the number of people who attempt it. “This hasn’t happened — not in the Mediterranean, or the Rio Grande, or the Darién Gap. Instead, more people come every year. What I saw in the jungle confirmed the pattern that has played out elsewhere: The harder migration is, the more cartels and other dangerous groups will profit, and the more migrants will die.” 7. MORE GLOOMY MEDIA NEWS: “Axios Laying Off 10% of Staff,” by NYT’s Katie Robertson: “Axios announced on Tuesday that it would lay off about 50 employees, or roughly 10 percent of the company. In a note to employees, the media outlet’s chief executive, JIM VANDEHEI, attributed the cuts to ‘changes in the media business’ and said that Axios needed to shift its investment to its core business areas to adapt. … He said that the company would continue to hire in ‘key areas’ but was facing a fragmenting of reader attention, new rivals going after its business and talent, and artificial intelligence models capable of summarizing news.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Tim Walz is already in with the Swifties and the Bruce Springsteen fans. Cynthia Nixon is feeling the Walzmentum. Mike Bloomberg is gifting $600 million to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. MEDIA MOVE — Derek Kravitz is now deputy editor for special projects at Consumer Reports. He previously was investigations and data editor at MuckRock Foundation. TRANSITION — Guneev Sharma is now senior manager of government relations and public policy at the Certified Financial Planners Board. He previously was senior manager of government relations at the National Park Foundation and is a Thorn Run Partners and Heidi Heitkamp alum. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Clarification: Yesterday’s Playbook PM included reporting from PIX11 that misstated a response from the Manhattan DA’s office about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. potentially facing charges stemming from his dumping of a bear corpse in Central Park.
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