Democratic leader Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the US presidential election.

Harris and Walz appeared in Philadelphia for their first rally as a duo, beginning their three-month campaign.

“Now we’ve got some work to do,” Harris told the crowd.

When it was his turn to speak, Walz thanked Harris for “bringing back the joy” to politics.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket,” the running mate said as he addressed the Philadelphia natives.

Walz was a member of the US House of Representatives from 2007-2019 where he represented Minnesota’s first congressional district, he has served as the Governor of Minnesota since 2019. Before becoming a politician, Walz was a public-school teacher as well as a high school football coach. During his tenure as a teacher, he also supported the schools new gay-straight alliance as the faculty adviser.

The Walz selection is a “great decision”, President Joe Biden said.

Walz had also been publicly criticised by the Republican Party for how he handled the 2020 George Floyd protests across Minnesota.

Harris had been narrowing down the number of contenders for the role when the rumoured final three candidates emerged, which also included Pennsylvanian Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

Photo: Governor Tim Walz addresses the audience at the Fitzgerald Theater by Lorie Shaull is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.