Hours after Kamala Harris announced her pick for vice president, U.S Rep. Eric Sorensen praised the decision.
Vice President Harris announced on Tuesday morning that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join her on the Democratic ticket, after vetting a handful of candidates including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Sorensen, a first-term Democrat in the 17th Congressional District, said Walz is a Midwesterner from a state with a large agricultural sector, so he understands what’s needed in Illinois and the 17th Congressional district.
“We’re not just putting a woman at the top of the ticket. We’re putting a woman of color on the top of the ticket,” Sorensen told TSPR. “Now as the vice presidential candidate, we’re putting a Midwesterner who’s one of us, at the top of the ticket. This is so exciting, especially for the next generation.”
Sorensen said he’s listened to a number of younger people who weren’t excited about the presidential race until it was transformed with Harris emerging as the Democratic nominee.
“They’re not excited to vote for two 80-year-old white men,” Sorensen said. “And I don’t blame them. This is their future. They have dreams for what they need done in the next four years.”
Sorensen said, with this ticket, he believes Democrats can sustain the momentum that started when President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
“Governor Tim Walz, a former high school teacher, union member, and Governor is the kind of leader we need as Vice President. But the fact he will bring Midwestern values to the job is even more important,” Sorensen said in a statement. “He understands the issues we see in our smaller hometowns and will make sure our government works for the true benefit of workers, farmers, and middle-class families.”
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
