By Amie Parnes, Brett Samuels and Brandon Conradis

Walz, 60, emerged as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 slot as chatter over other high-profile names, in particular Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), dominated the early portion of the veepstakes.

But the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird” -a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats.

His selection concludes a whirlwind two-week period that saw President Biden end his reelection bid, Harris consolidate support within the party to become the presumptive nominee, and the vice president’s team rapidly vet contenders to join her on the ticket in November.

Harris had not made up her mind on a running mate as of Monday night, taking the decision up until the final hours.

Walz was also seen by many as a safer choice for Harris thanks to his liberal bona fides and the fact that some of the other contenders had come under fire from certain segments of the left. Shapiro received heavy scrutiny recently over his response to pro-Palestinian protests that emerged in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, and both he and Kelly drew the ire of union leaders.

Adding to Walz’s appeal is the fact that he hails from a Midwestern state that Trump has increasingly set his sights on flipping. Though Biden won Minnesota in 2020 by 7 points, and no Republican has won the presidential race there in more than 50 years, Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), have stepped up their efforts to campaign in the state.

But he is not without vulnerabilities. Republicans are likely to use some of his policy positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues to paint him as a radical liberal, just as they have with Harris.

Walz was governor of Minnesota during the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and Republicans are certain to highlight images of that tumultuous time.

Harris and Walz will storm battleground states this week, starting in Philadelphia. The two will travel later this week to Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. Planned trips to North Carolina and Georgia were reportedly postponed as Hurricane Debby made landfall in the southeast.