MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kamala Harris’ vice presidential candidate Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, will face a national audience that will get to know him when he headlines Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday evening.
Outside of Minnesota, Walz was not very well known. Harris chose him to join her on the Democratic presidential ticket. But they hit it off when the vice president interviewed him, and she was impressed by his record as a governor and congressman — and by the buzz he was making on television. His attack line against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — spread like a prairie fire.
Since Harris announced her choice, the country has been learning more about the 60-year-old governor and self-proclaimed “Midwest Dad.” Here’s a look at Walz as he prepares for his biggest campaign speech yet:
From teacher to vice president
The Nebraskan native was a geography teacher and assistant football coach at Mankato West High School in southern Minnesota before running for Congress, upsetting Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht in 2006. He was considered a centrist and was known for his work on veterans issues. Walz was elected governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 in an election that gave the Democrats full control the state government.
Walz and the legislative leaders seized the moment to create comprehensive protections for abortion and trans rights. And they increased support for families, including free school meals for all students, new tax breaks for families with children, and paid family and medical leave.
Republicans say Walz has made a sharp shift to the left. They believe the governor should have returned a massive $17.6 billion budget surplus to taxpayers instead of a Record state budget of $72 billion for two years This was 40% more than the previous budget.
They also say Walz acted too slowly to deploy the National Guard amid the unrest following the Murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, although Trump praised his response at the time. And they say lax oversight under his watch cost pandemic-related programs hundreds of millions of dollars Losses due to fraud.
military service
Walz’s rise has Revival of conservative criticism his departure from the Minnesota National Guard. He retired in 2005 with a total of 24 years of service to run for Congress despite knowing his unit might be deployed to Iraq, but three months before the official order came. Walz was legally entitled to retire, but some of his critics don’t like that he retired when he did. The Harris campaign counters that Walz stayed on the job during his time in Congress by being a “tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform.”
Another controversy about Walz’s tenure is the way he designated his rank. He rose to the rank of command sergeant major – one of the highest ranks in the military. But he held that rank for less than a year and retired before completing the courses and other requirements associated with his promotion. Due to favoritism, his rank was reduced to master sergeant.
The Harris campaign initially referred to Walz as a “retired command sergeant major.” Walz has described himself that way over the years. The campaign has corrected his official biography to now only say he “served” at that rank.
Another point of contention was a tweet from the Harris campaign with a clip from a 2018 speech in which he spoke out against gun violence and said, “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war are the only place those weapons are.” Critics said Walz portrayed himself as someone who had served in a combat zone when that was not the case. The campaign later admitted that Walz had made a mistake at that time.
Walz’ family
What you should know about the 2024 election
Tim and Gwen Walz married in 1994. They met when they were both teachers in Nebraska and later moved to their hometown of Minnesota, where they both worked at Mankato West High School. Former students remember her as Allies and advocates for LGBTQ+ students. As First Lady of Minnesota, she has worked to Gun safety Legislation, education and criminal justice reform.
Daughter Hope, now 23, was born in 2001. They chose her name after seven years of trying to conceive her, relying on a procedure called intrauterine insemination (IUI), which is one reason they are so adamant about opposing restrictions on another but more controversial treatment, in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is opposed by some anti-abortion activists. Hope graduated from college last year.
A viral video The video, which has now been viewed nearly 7 million times, shows a father and daughter arguing about what to eat at the Minnesota State Fair.
Hope declined his suggestion of a corn dog, saying, “I’m a vegetarian.”
“Then Turkey,” replied the governor.
“Turkey,” she replied.
“Not in Minnesota,” he said. “Turkey is special.”
The video ends with them screaming and laughing on the Slingshot roller coaster. He said she tricked him into it. “It was so worth it,” he admitted.
Son Gus, now 17, was born in 2006 and is a high school graduate. His parents recently published to People magazine He has a nonverbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder. But they called his condition “his secret power” and said he was “brilliant” and set up for success. He got his driver’s license last fall.
When Walz was elected governor, Gus was happy because it meant he could have a dog. A few months later, they adopted a black Labrador named Scout.
On the campaign trail
Rolling attracted large crowds in the election campaign, from his first appearance with Harris in the Swing State of Pennsylvania, to a solo performance at a Trade Union Congress in Los Angeles, to a Returning home to Nebraska in Omaha on Saturday. Harris and Walz Reunited in Pennsylvania on Sunday for a bus trip through cities where the former coach gave motivational speeches to motivate local volunteers.
