BOSTON (WHDH) - Polling expert Spencer Kimball shared his reaction Tuesday after Kamala Harris reportedly selected Minnesota Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Harris confirmed the pick in a post on social media after initial reports from several news outlets.
Speaking with 7NEWS, Kimball reflected on what he said has been a “truncated process” since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and backed Harris late last month.
“We’ll see over the next 95 days or so how this plays out,” Kimball said.
“This is a fairly unusual process because of the lack of the primary system in nominating a candidate,” Kimball said separately.
Walz was one of several names floated to join Harris on the Democratic ticket after Biden stepped aside and Harris emerged as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
After beating out contenders including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Walz is now expected to appear alongside Harris at a rally in Philadelphia Tuesday night.
Though Harris faced no significant challenge to her candidacy in the hours and days after Biden dropped out, Kimball said he expected prominent Democrats will still aim to project unity after a vice presidential selection process that could leave some supporters with “sour grapes.”
Walz, 60, has served as governor of Minnesota since 2019. Minnesota has not voted for a Republican candidate for president since 1972, meaning his state was likely already reliably in Harris’ electoral column before Tuesday’s news.
Kimball said the selection of Walz, though, may represent an effort to shore up support in other midwestern swing states.
“It will be interesting to see how the numbers move over in Michigan and Wisconsin,” he said.
Kimball said the pick also may represent an effort to balance the Democratic ticket, adding a white, male, midwestern candidate to run alongside Harris.
Kimball, who serves as the executive director of Emerson College Polling, previously spoke to 7NEWS last week to break down the results of an exclusive 7NEWS/Emerson College poll of voters in New Hampshire.
The poll found Harris led Trump by a margin of 50% to 46% in the Granite State, marking an improvement after earlier concerns about Biden’s once embattled candidacy.
Reacting to the latest developments in the race after the Walz announcement, Kimball said the Trump campaign has been thrown a “curveball” in recent weeks with Biden’s decision to step aside.
With Walz now set as Harris’ running mate, and with the Democratic National Convention approaching, Kimball said he will be watching to see how Trump and other Republicans adjust their campaigns.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)