Since being introduced as Kamala Harris’s running mate in the White House race, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has impressed Democrats with his folksy charm — and he’s ready to share the spotlight. “I can’t wait for all of you and America to meet my incredible wife, Gwen, a public school teacher of 29 years,” Walz, also a former teacher, said during a campaign rally on Tuesday. Here’s what we know about America’s possible next Second Lady.
1. She is a First Lady who gets involved
When her family moved into the Governor’s Mansion in 2019, Walz was given the title of First Lady. Although the position is ceremonial, she viewed it as anything but: According to The Minneapolis Star TribuneWalz is the first first lady in Minnesota history to have an office in the state capital, and she has been present during her husband’s interviews for state-level positions. When the Walzes move into the Naval Observatory next year, she may not be idle.
2. She is interested in criminal justice reform
Walz’s first public appearance as Minnesota’s first lady was not a formal inaugural ceremony, but a rally at the state Capitol in support of a bill that would restore voting rights to convicted felons after completing their prison sentences. She is also a longtime supporter of the Bard Prison Initiative, a program that gives prisoners access to higher education; in 2021, Minnesota launched a similar program, Transformation and Reentry through Education and Community.
3. She met her husband at work
Before the Walzes shared a home, they shared a classroom. They taught at the same school, Alliance High School in Tim Walz’s home state of Nebraska, with their “rooms” separated only by a makeshift partition, Gwen told Minnesota Public Radio in 2019. They later moved to Gwen Walz’s home state of Minnesota, where they both taught at West Mankato High School: Tim taught geography while Gwen taught English. They also shared a side hustle; he coached the football team, she coached the cheerleading squad. If Harris and Walz win in November, Gwen would be the fourth consecutive second wife to be an educator, joining Doug Emhoff, Karen Pence and Jill Biden.
4. She conceived her first child through artificial insemination
While the details of how a candidate’s child was conceived aren’t typically a political issue, the Walzes made public in March that their first child, Hope, was conceived through artificial insemination. This came after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through artificial insemination should be considered living children – a decision that forced many of the state’s health care providers to stop providing the service. Expect the issue to come up on a debate stage this fall, especially since Tim is running against Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance, who voted against codifying artificial insemination protections.
5. She helped launch an orientation program for new spouses of members of Congress
Tim was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. After the Walzes arrived in DC in 2007, Gwen was “troubled” by the high divorce rate in Congress and founded a mentoring program to help the new spouses adjust to life in DC – whether it’s commuting from their constituencies or suddenly getting used to being in the public eye. “We have a little saying in the spouse world that says, ‘All the work, no perks,'” she told Minnesota Public Radio in 2019.
