Until the final hours, political observers were looking at every possible hint of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ running mate. A scheduled rally in Philadelphia seemed to indicate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was the choice in this hotly contested state, but then the Secret Service vehicles drove up to the home of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, picking him up for a date with history.

“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Harris tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Shortly afterward, her campaign posted a TikTok video of Walz in his state, embracing children, holding farm animals, and congratulating football players, to say that his folksy Midwestern identity would balance Harris’ coastal urban image.

A self-described “White Dude for Harris,” Walz, 60, was born in rural Nebraska, signed up for the National Guard, and then worked as a high school teacher and football coach in Minnesota. In 2006, he was elected to Congress, defeating a six-term Republican incumbent. He was elected governor in 2018.

Prior to his first run for office, Walz attended Camp Wellstone, a training program for aspiring candidates. Its namesake was the late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, a standard-bearer in liberal politics. In elected office, he received favorable ratings from groups supporting LGBTQ rights, abortion, environmental causes, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Representing his district, he was also outspoken on matters concerning farmers and veterans. Initially, he also received positive reviews from the NRA, being the licensed owner of firearms.

After his landslide win for governor, those ratings dipped after he signed legislation toughening background checks and penalties for unauthorized purchases.

“There’s a vision to reduce gun violence with absolutely no infringement on those who lawfully own guns, to use them for things that many of us cherish,” he said at an event last week.

The most critical year of his tenure was 2020, when the pandemic quarantine clashed with protests nationwide that were sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He called the National Guard three days after the protests turned to rioting, which critics charged was his appeasement of the crowds. When federal food aid was distributed to children during the pandemic, Walz’s office failed to detect fraud in that $250 million program.

Described as an “attack dog,” Walz appeared at rallies and talk shows offering memorable and direct one-liners against Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance.

For Jewish voters, the passing over of Shapiro raises questions whether Walz was chosen because he was the favorite of the party’s progressive wing, whose activists ran the “No Genocide Josh” online campaign.

Walz first visited Israel in 2009, meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and then flying to Syria where he met with dictator Bashar al-Assad at a time when the Obama administration was reaching out to his regime in an attempt to contain terrorism in the region.

In the months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Walz condemned anti-Semitism on college campuses while urging his party to recognize the voices of anti-Israel activists.

“I think when Jewish students are telling us they feel unsafe in that, we need to believe them, and I do believe them,” he said on a local PBS station in April. “Creating a space where political dissent or political rallying can happen is one thing. Intimidation is another.”

In June, he spoke at the Jewish Community Relations Council for Minnesota and the Dakotas, arguing that the release of hostages must precede negotiations for peace and affirming his support for Israel.

“The ability of Jewish people to self-determine themselves is foundational. The failure to recognize the State of Israel is taking away that self-determination. So, it is anti-Semitic.”

Marc Mellman, chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel organization, was confident that Walz would maintain support for Israel.

“Not only is Governor Walz an accomplished and beloved leader in the state of Minnesota, having been elected five times to the House of Representatives and twice to the governorship, but he is also a proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record of supporting the US-Israel relationship.”

Harris’ pick of Walz was praised by lawmakers across the political spectrum within the Democratic party. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it an “excellent decision,” and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia described him as bringing “normalcy back to Washington.”

For progressives, the choice of Walz not only shows a rejection of the pro-Israel Shapiro, but also his policies as governor. When his state had a budget surplus, rather than cut taxes as Republicans had urged, he allocated funds for free public school meals and college tuition for students with households earning less than $80,000, paid family and medical leave, health insurance for noncitizens, legalizing marijuana possession, and support for “gender-affirming” care for minors.

His Republican opponent, J.D. Vance, 39, also expressed confidence in his chances of defeating the Democratic ticket, highlighting Walz’s most crucial year as governor. “They make an interesting tag team, because Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, and the few who got caught, Kamala Harris helped them bail out of jail.”