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By Dana Ferguson, Cathy Wurzer and Aleesa Kuznetsov

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared himself open Monday to a vice presidential run a day after President Joe Biden announced he will not seek reelection, paving the way for a new Democratic ticket.

Walz told MPR News that he spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris Sunday night, following the announcement that she would pursue the Democratic Party’s nomination. Many in the party, including Walz, are coalescing around Harris to be the party’s nominee.

Walz said that he’d seriously consider being added to the ticket, if Harris asked.

“She mentioned she would need my help. And I said she has it in any way that she sees fit,” Walz told Minnesota Now hosted by Cathy Wurzer. “If that’s the direction she goes, I guess that’s fine.”

Walz noted that he loves his job as governor of Minnesota but would consider the role of vice president if he felt he could bring more to the Democratic ticket.

“When I travel, a lot of states like what we’re doing here, and I think that idea that we could do that in other places would be great,” he said. “So if I could add to the vice president’s agenda, if I could add to that ticket, if I could help electorally, I would certainly listen to her.”

With the presidential race now scrambled, Democrats must first settle on a new nominee. And that puts Walz and other Minnesota Democrats in a key role as they organize the Democratic National Convention next month. The Harris campaign has reportedly included Walz in a list of potential vice president candidates it’s seeking information from.

Walz declined to say whether he has submitted background information to the Harris presidential campaign for consideration as a possible Democratic vice presidential candidate. He told WCCO Radio Tuesday morning that he’s not commenting on that right now.

Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation have voiced their support for Harris. So have a majority of the state’s convention delegates.

Walz will play a key role in shaping the nomination process as co-chair of the convention’s rules committee. He will be at the table as Democratic leaders decide how the voting process moves forward — and whether delegates will cast votes remotely before the convention kicks off.

He is also in the spotlight as a possible running mate pick for Harris or whomever picks up the Democratic nomination.

As a second-term Democratic governor who steered through a slate of progressive policy wins in recent years, Walz could also bring Midwestern heft and a background as a former school teacher to the ticket. He also served for decades in the Army National Guard and represented southern Minnesota in Congress before running for governor in 2018.