Most Americans don't know who Kamala's VP is and are shocked to discover his age

Vice President Kamala Harris' new running mate has a name recognition issue.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was selected to run alongside Harris, the VP announced on Tuesday morning, and he will appear for the first time with the presidential candidate at a rally in Philadelphia later in the event.

But Americans' familiarity with Walz and his favorability rating is much lower than Donald Trump running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

Additionally, Walz, 60, has garnered some criticism for appearing older than his age. One X user questioned how he and VP Harris, 59, are only one year apart.

The governor responded in a July 23 post that he balded early because he 'taught high school' and 'supervised the lunchroom for 20 years.'

'You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me,' he added.

Harris narrowed down her list of running mates to just three white, male politicians earlier this week and was weighing bringing on board Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has extremely low name recognition, a new poll reveals as Vice President Kamala Harris selected the progressive governor as her running mate

Meanwhile, way more Americans know the name of Donald Trump's running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio)

But a NPR/PBS News/Marist National Poll reveals that despite her choice of Walz, a whopping 71 percent of Americans have either never heard of him or don't know how to rate the progressive governor.

Only 17 percent of U.S. residents polled have a favorable view towards Walz and 12 percent say they have an unfavorable view of him.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kelly and Gov. Shapiro have higher name recognition and much higher favorability.

Vance is much more known by Americans, according to the survey taken in early August and released on Tuesday.

Only 23 percent of respondents don't know who Vance is or don't know whether they would rate him favorably or unfavorably.

Despite only serving in the Senate since last year, Vance earned name recognition through his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a Netflix film with stars like Amy Adams and Glenn Close playing the senator's mother and grandmother.

Vance has a 34 percent favorability rating, but more – 43 percent – view him negatively in the new Marist poll.

'Communism makes you old,' one X user wrote of Walz in criticizing Harris for picking a candidate the same age as her and for appearing even older than his age.

Another user wrote: 'He's an old fat white guy no matter how you slice it. I didn't even think that was allowed in the Dem party in 2024. Impressive.'

Some Democrats were hoping Harris would choose a younger No. 2 from a swing state, like Shapiro in Pennsylvania or Kelly in Arizona, to help secure a state critical to winning in November.

Sen. J.D. Vance holds a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ahead of Harris and Walz appearing in the city for their first joint campaign rally

Harris announced on Tuesday she selected Walz as her VP pick 

Shapiro, 51, has a 25 percent favorability rating and 23 percent unfavorable, while 53 percent of respondents said they either never heard of him or were unsure how they would rate him.

And Kelly had the highest favorability among Democratic VP picks with 31 percent compared to just 18 percent unfavorability for the former astronaut.

But still, Sen. Kelly doesn't have name recognition or impact enough to warrant an opinion of 52 percent of respondents.

Democrats are hoping that Walz will appeal to voters in battleground states in the midwest.

But Minnesota, although a midwest state, is not thought the same as other swing states in the region like Michigan and Wisconsin because it leans further left – especially in the 2020 election.