Inside Kamala Harris' dramatic last-minute decision to pick Tim Walz as running mate: Why VP picked the progressive governor... what helped her finally make up her mind... and how she made the call

With conscionable hours to spell until Kamala Harris was owed to present her moving mate to nan world, her unit had nary thought who she was going to pick.

Her squad prepared run signs that paired her sanction pinch each her apical contenders to make judge they were covered erstwhile she made up her mind.

On Tuesday greeting she picked up nan telephone to President Joe Biden arsenic she raced against clip to make 1 of nan astir captious decisions of her governmental career.

In nan extremity - and aft an aggravated vetting process pinch Democratic kingmakers - she went pinch nan 'cuddly option'.

The vice president waited until nan very past infinitesimal to prime nan progressive Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arsenic her moving mate to return connected Donald Trump and J.D. Vance successful nan November wide election.

An insider told DailyMail.com she wanted 'compatibility' connected nan Democratic summons and a 'partner' pinch a debased consequence of outshining her.

The 60-year-old father-of-two Walz was nan comfortable prime arsenic a leader pinch a beardown grounds successful Republican areas and nan backing of erstwhile Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was agelong considered to beryllium nan favourite successful nan moving mate race, but concerns complete his individual ambition and support of Israel whitethorn person tipped nan scales against him.

Naming Walz arsenic nan moving mate has caused some ceremony and interest wrong nan Democrats, and Republicans person said nan guidance now has nan astir 'left-wing ticket' successful history.

The erstwhile coach is well-liked and a proven victor successful Republican areas. His explanation of Trump and Vance arsenic 'just weird' went viral and sparked a caller Democrat statement of onslaught successful nan campaign.

But immoderate questioned why Harris didn't spell pinch nan different achromatic antheral she was considering: Shapiro and his state's 19 electoral votes.

She consulted a assortment of statement dense weights arsenic portion of her determination making process: erstwhile President Barack Obama, run chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, and erstwhile Attorney General Eric Holder, who managed nan vetting process.

But her prime was politically smart too. Walz is beardown wherever she is weak.

He is simply a blue-collar fig pinch agrarian experience, which is simply a crisp opposition to Harris, nan first achromatic and South Asian vice president who is from wide San Francisco.

And while Harris brings successful nan younker ballot and achromatic voters, Walz appeals to achromatic moving people and older voters.

He besides has subject acquisition from his clip successful nan National Guard and, while he was successful Congress, he represented a territory that Donald Trump carried successful nan statesmanlike elections.

'Picking a Rural Democrat who utilized to correspond a Red territory pinch a progressive, populist grounds is simply a awesome measurement to equilibrium a summons pinch a nominee from Oakland, California,' said Democratic strategist Dan Pfieffer connected X.

Harris was impressed pinch his 'strong grounds supporting mediate people families, his entreaty to cardinal Midwest states - including winning a House spot successful a Trump district,' a root acquainted said.

When she called him - via video chat - to connection him nan position, she told him that they were nan 'underdogs,' a statement she has utilized many times connected nan run trail.

And 1 strategist described Walz arsenic nan 'cuddly choice.'

'She went for possibly a small much of a cuddly prime - for illustration possibly personification who everybody feels is going to make everybody consciousness safe,' Jamal Simmons, Harris' erstwhile communications director, said connected CNN.

'It looks for illustration nan flip broadside of nan Biden-Harris choice, right? They’re astir nan aforesaid age, but politician - he's a small grayer he's sewage a small spot much of that fto mid-western appeal.'

But location whitethorn person been different factors successful her decision: chiefly concerns that Shapiro, who has garnered comparisons to Obama connected nan stump, would outshine her.

The first maximum of a VP moving mate is do nary harm. Walz appears to meet that.

But Shapiro is simply a different story. While he whitethorn person delivered Pennsylvania - a authorities some sides see captious to a triumph successful November - he besides had his critics.

Those see 1 of his location authorities senators: John Fetterman.

Fetterman relayed to Harris' run his concerns that Shapiro was focused connected his ain individual ambitions supra each else.

Shapiro friends alleged, however, that nan disapproval against nan politician is anti-Semitic. Shapiro is Jewish.

He besides has been 1 of nan astir vocal critics of nan pro-Palestinian protests that person popped up successful nan U.S. aft nan October 7th attacks connected Israel.

His disapproval led immoderate liberals to pass against his inclusion connected nan ticket. Many Democrats person expressed interest astir nan Biden administration's staunch support for Israel.

Walz, successful contrast, has expressed support for Israel but has pushed for much assistance to nan Palestinians. He besides expected a cease-fire successful Gaza and a two-state solution.

All work together nan prime demonstrates really Harris makes decisions – pinch Republicans arguing it showed her arsenic a bad determination shaper and Democrats calling it a wise choice.

There is immoderate alleviation among Republicans that Harris didn’t prime Shapiro pinch galore of Trump’s supporters breathing a sigh of alleviation that nan authorities is still successful play.

Then they quickly starting attacking Walz, pinch immoderate saying Harris picked nan Bernie Sanders of Democrats, coating nan Minnesota politician arsenic an unabashed liberal.

And they whitethorn beryllium connected to something.

According to a Marist canvass released Tuesday, Walz has highly debased nationalist sanction recognition.

A whopping 71% of Americans opportunity they person 'not heard' of him and person nary sentiment connected him.

But Walz besides had immoderate large sanction Democrats successful his corner, peculiarly erstwhile Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi played a domiciled successful pressuring Biden to exit nan Democratic race.

She is known to beryllium supportive of her erstwhile House members and she was fond of Walz erstwhile he was successful Congress.

'Tim Walz is wonderful. She had galore bully choices. Tim Walz I cognize very well. He served successful nan House. To qualify him arsenic near is truthful unreal. It's conscionable not -- he's correct down nan middle. He's a heartland of America Democrat,' Pelosi told Morning Joe.