Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota’s progressive Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, finalizing her decision just before the deadline after weeks of speculation.
Walz emerged as a prominent contender for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination as Harris prepares to challenge Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in the upcoming November election.
Governor Walz gained favor among Democrats for his outspoken criticism of Republicans, famously labeling them as “weird,” a term that has since become a common line of attack within the party.
Despite being relatively unknown on the national stage before being considered as Harris’s running mate, Walz’s profile has significantly risen following President Biden’s exit from the race last month.
The 60-year-old Walz, a former U.S. congressman, teacher, and Army National Guard veteran, was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2019 and secured reelection in 2022.
Prior to his gubernatorial tenure, he represented Minnesota’s rural first congressional district along the state’s southern border in Congress beginning in 2007.
Born in West Point, Nebraska in 1964, Walz grew up in a rural community where his father served as a public-school administrator, graduating in a class of 25 students in 1982 and later earning his undergraduate degree from Chadron State College and a master’s from Minnesota State University.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Walz became a teacher and even taught English in China in 1989, gaining proficiency in Mandarin. Upon returning to Nebraska, he worked as a teacher and football coach, leading his team to a state championship.
At 17, Walz enlisted in the National Guard, serving for 24 years and retiring as a master sergeant in 2005.
In 1994, he married Gwen, also a teacher originally from Minnesota, and they moved to Mankato, MN, a few years later.
The couple has two children, Hope and Gus, both conceived through IVF.
Walz has been a vocal supporter of fertility treatment, particularly amid concerns over Republican efforts to restrict it.
Walz first entered Congress in 2006 by defeating an incumbent Republican. During his tenure, he served on the Armed Services Committee, Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Agriculture Committee.
He announced his candidacy for Minnesota governor in 2018 following the incumbent Democrat’s decision not to seek reelection. As governor, Walz has codified the right to abortion, signed legislation for universal free school meals, legalized recreational marijuana, and restored voting rights to former prisoners.
He is also a strong ally of the LGBTQ+ community, having served as a faculty advisor to a high school’s first gay-straight alliance and, as governor, working to ban conversion therapy for youths.
Walz, who abstains from alcohol and coffee, is a fan of Diet Mountain Dew and was arrested for DWI in Nebraska in 1995 before quitting drinking. He prefers the passenger seat on official duties due to carsickness.
The decision to add Walz to the Democratic ticket has been welcomed by progressives and is expected to help solidify support in Minnesota as the party focuses on other key battleground states.
