The Minnesota governor’s selection is a somewhat surprising end to a whirlwind process for choosing the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Though Walz has been a well-respected member of the party and head of the Democratic Governors Association, he had little national profile until recently. But in the past few weeks, Walz broke out with buzzy television appearances in which he memorably labeled J. D. Vance and the Republican Party overall “weird.” That created a moment for the Democrats, vaulting Walz into the spotlight and now onto the presidential ticket.