Vice President Kamala Harris likely took a GOP target off the board with her selection of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate.

Former President Donald Trump was flirting with the possibility of putting Minnesota in play when he was running against President Joe Biden. But with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket, and Walz joining her on Tuesday, it doesn’t appear likely the North Star State is flipping into Trump’s column in November.

Trump has had his eyes set on winning Minnesota ever since he lost the state in 2016 by fewer than 45,000 votes. However, in 2020 he lost the state by more than 7 percentage points. 

But internal polling conducted by the Trump campaign back in May showed Trump and Biden tied at 40%, giving the former president the idea that Minnesota might be winnable.  

“Joe Biden is so weak, and Democrats are in such disarray, that not only is President Trump winning every traditional battleground state, but longtime blue states such as Minnesota, Virginia, and New Jersey are now in play,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Politico in May.

However a lot has changed in the past few months. Harris has now replaced Biden, and polling numbers indicate Harris has a 10-point lead on Trump in Minnesota. 

GOP senators told the Hill that Trump was surprised by the overwhelming support that Harris received once Biden stepped out of the race. 

And now that Harris has selected Walz, a strong union supporter and abortion rights advocate, Trump faces stiff competition in convincing Minnesota voters to go against their governor.  

Walz wasn’t the only VP option for Harris if she wanted to seal a battleground state for herself.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) were the other two rumored finalists who came just short of joining Harris at the top of the ticket.

Arizona is an important swing state that was at the heart of some of the most highly contested election security fights in recent years. It is also a border state, and Kelly’s strong record on illegal immigration would have helped soothe voter fears about how a Harris administration would address the problem.

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Even more important than Arizona or Minnesota is Pennsylvania, which is a must-win contest for Harris as there is virtually no path to winning 270 Electoral College votes without it.

Harris is cruising ahead of Trump in Minnesota according to the Real Clear Politics average, but she is still trailing him in Arizona and Pennsylvania.