Yesterday, Kamala Harris chose my former colleague Tim Walz to be her running mate.

Before he became the popular governor of Minnesota, Walz flipped a red district in Congress. When I chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he was a frequent and reliable source of help. I know firsthand just how much he brings to the Harris campaign as an electoral and governing partner.

Walz was always a workhorse. Behind the scenes, he was quiet, thoughtful and constantly focused on delivering for his constituents. I used to keep a list of “drama-free” members of Congress: those who were “quietly operational” and would pursue a legislative or political mission to its conclusion, without taking unnecessary pitstops in front of microphones. Tim Walz was on that list.

I once joked to Walz that he reminded me of a high school football coach in a rural town. He shot back something along the lines of, “Well, yeah actually, I was.” In fact, Walz helped lead Mankato West High School to its first state championship in 1999. Where other legislators lavished attention on the grandstands, Walz left it all on the field.

Yet beneath the unassuming veneer, he showed an ability to throw a bare-knuckled punch to advance our agenda. From his inspiring........

© The Hill