2024-07-25 04:20:03
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is reportedly on the shortlist of candidates Vice President Kamala Harris is considering to be her vice presidential running mate. What would happen if the DFL governor becomes vice president?
The state Constitution clearly lays out a line of succession. If the governor were to vacate his office, the state’s lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, would take his place. The last presiding officer of the Minnesota Senate, DFL Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, would fill the role of lieutenant governor.
The ascension of Flanagan and Champion would mark historic milestones: Flanagan would be Minnesota’s first female and Native American governor, and Champion would be the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
“We know there has never been a woman governor in Minnesota, and aren’t aware of any Black individuals serving at lieutenant governor,” a representative from the Legislative Reference Library said in an email.
There is little precedent for such a shakeup in the governor’s office. The closest example occurred in 2018, when DFL Gov. Mark Dayton appointed his lieutenant governor, Tina Smith, to fill the U.S. Senate seat that became vacant after Al Franken’s resignation.
Then-Senate President Michelle Fischbach, a Republican, became Dayton’s lieutenant governor for a brief stint.
If Champion became lieutenant governor, his departure from the Minnesota Senate could temporarily give control of the chamber to Republicans until a special election is held to fill his blue Minneapolis seat.
The Minnesota Senate is now deadlocked 33-33. Control of the chamber will be up for grabs this November via a single special election to fill former DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison’s west-metro seat. Morrison vacated her seat to run for Congress.
Walz isn’t the only Democratic governor who’s been floated as a possible running mate for Harris. Others who’ve been mentioned are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina are battleground states. Choosing a governor from one of those states could give Harris more advantage in the electoral college.
Walz wouldn’t comment Tuesday on whether he’s being vetted by the Harris campaign. He said he talked to Harris on Sunday afternoon, shortly after President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the race.
“I said I will be there to do whatever I can to help, and that’s where we’re at, at this point,” Walz said.
