Tim Walz of Minnesota and Joe Courtney of Connecticut both flipped rural, Republican-held districts in 2006, helping to propel a blue wave that led Democrats to seize control of the House for the first time in a dozen years.
“That shared experience really created a bond between us,” Courtney said Tuesday, after Vice President Kamala Harris named Walz as her running mate. “He is just such a salt of the earth, down-to-earth guy that instantly [makes] friends with people.’’
Eighteen years later, the bond remains. “I’ve been texting with him for the last week and a half and I talked to him a week ago Sunday,” said Courtney, who is running for his 10th term in the House. “I’m just so excited.”
