Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appears to be on the shortest of short lists among the candidates Vice President Kamala Harris might choose as her running mate. However, the list of states where she plans to unveil her vice presidential candidate next week does not include Minnesota.

“This is another extraordinary feature of a very strange 2024 presidential election,” says Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He says the process of choosing a running mate for Harris is like a political version of speed dating.

“Picking the vice president usually takes months and now it’s compressed to weeks or even days.”

The shortlist by many accounts appears to be Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and all are likely being vetted by the Harris campaign. Walz has declined to say whether he formally submitted vetting materials to the campaign.

The national profile of Walz has increased substantially in the past month, with several appearances on national television programs and leading the opposition response for Democrats at the National Republican Convention in Milwaukee. He was also considered a loyal ally of President Joe Biden as he considered whether to remain in the presidential race.

A source close to the Trump campaign tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Walz is among the possible Harris VP contenders against whom they’re doing opposition research. There will be plenty to consider, including his response to the George Floyd riots and delays in calling out the National Guard and the massive growth in the Minnesota state budget and size of government.

However, Jacobs says Walz has plenty of factors in his favor, including congressional experience and six years as governor, including a relatively easy re-election.

“I think the reason Gov. Walz continues to get a lot of attention is that he can hit the ground running if Harris were to win,” Jacobs says.

All the potential VP choices will be closely watched in the coming days. We know Walz will be in Minnesota at least part of Thursday because he has a news conference about new laws going into effect Aug. 1.

Although Harris is expected to formally roll out her VP selection next week, her pick is likely to be known earlier, maybe even by this weekend.