Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Aug. 6 that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would join her at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket, just over two weeks after she launched her campaign in the wake of President Joe Biden’s exit from the race.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Harris said of Walz in a post on X. “It’s great to have him on the team.”
Walz. as long as he is formally nominated by the Democratic Party, will go up against former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
Here are 32 things to know about the man joining the Democratic Party’s ticket.
1. He Is 60 Years Old
Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, in 1964. His father, Jim Walz, died in 1983.
2. He and His wife, Gwen, Have Two Children
The two have been married since 1994 and share a daughter, Hope, and a son, Gus.
3. He Is Lutheran
If elected, Walz would become only the second Lutheran to enter the White House after Vice President Hubert Humphrey. The United States has never had a Lutheran president.
4. He Attended Chadron State College and Minnesota State University
Walz majored in social science education in his undergraduate studies and earned his masters in educational leadership during his graduate studies.
5. He Served in the Army National Guard for 24 Years
Walz held multiple positions including firing battery chief, operations sergeant, and first sergeant before rising to the rank of command sergeant major. He retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005 with the rank of master sergeant after not completing the additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy to retain the rank of command sergeant major. He left the National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq.
6. He Was a Schoolteacher
Walz taught at Mankato West High School in Mankato, Minnesota, for two decades.
Tim Walz in the Army National Guard in 1981. (Public Domain)
7. He Coached Football
While coaching football at Mankato West High School, Walz carried the team to its first state championship.
8. He Briefly Taught School in China
Walz accepted a role from Harvard University to teach in China from 1989 to 1990. The group of American teachers was one of the first to be approved by the Chinese regime to teach at high schools in the country.
9. He Volunteered on John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential Campaign
Walz served as county coordinator for the campaign, as well as district coordinator for the group Vets for Kerry.
10. Like Harris, He Is a Progressive
Walz supports legislation ensuring abortion access, supports unions and organized labor, and supports strict gun control legislation. During a recent Harris campaign
fundraising call, Walz said, “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” Under his gubernatorial tenure, Minnesota has issued driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
Additionally, Walz enacted an executive order to protect gender-reassignment surgery and treatments for minors, including those who travel from other states.
11. He Was Elected to Congress in 2006
Walz represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District, which leans Republican, after defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht. He was the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee between January 2017 and January 2019. He was rated the seventh most
bipartisan representative in the 114th Congress, according to the Lugar Center at Georgetown University. He was the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress.
12. He Reversed His Stance on Guns
He supported gun rights in Congress before changing his position in 2018, when he was running for governor, and saying he would support a ban on so-called assault weapons in Minnesota. In 2023, he signed a bill into law that allows the authorities to confiscate someone’s firearms if the person is considered to be a danger to themselves or others, commonly known as a “red flag” law.
Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) takes the stage in front of a crowd of supporters at his election night party in St Paul, Minn., on Aug. 14, 2018. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
13. He Introduced the STOCK Act in Congress
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act sought to limit insider trading and unethical gift-receiving in Congress. The Senate version sponsored by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) became law in 2012.
14. He Introduced the Military Taxpayer Assistance Act
The bill sought to create a unit within the IRS to provide “outreach, education, and assistance” to veterans and military members.
15. He Cosponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2018
“This bill prohibits discrimination, under a federally assisted program, against public school students on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates,” the bill stated. It also would have allowed federal departments and agencies to revoke funding for recipients or institutions found to be violating this law.
16. He Condemned the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989
Walz, who briefly taught in China from 1989 to 1990, was present in the country during the Tiananmen Square massacre. In comments to reporters on Capitol Hill in 2014, he said the initial protests ahead of the massacre felt like “freedom was spreading around the world, and it was a very optimistic feeling.”
“I remember waking up on June 4 and seeing the news and learning that the unthinkable had happened,” he said.
“And I am certainly honored to have been there and to see the spirit of the Chinese people, about trying to—very proud of their country—but understanding that freedom needs to shine.”
17. He Cosponsored an Assault Weapons Ban in 2018
The bill would have amended federal law to “make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device.”
18. He Introduced the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018
If passed, it would have authorized the Department of Veteran Affairs to “conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of certain forms of cannabis and cannabis delivery for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system diagnosed with conditions such as chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder.”
19. He Cosponsored Legislation to Increase the Minimum Wage
Along with Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.), Walz co-sponsored the Raise the Wage Act. It would have amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to “increase the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 7-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old.”
President Joe Biden greets Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at Minneapolis-Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station on April 3, 2023. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith)
20. He Was Elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018 and Won Reelection in 2022
Walz defeated Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson in 2018 by more than 295,000 votes, or 11.4 percentage points. He won against former state Sen. Scott Jensen in 2022 by more than 192,000 votes, or 7.66 percentage points.
21. He Faced Pressure for State Riots in 2020
Walz came under fire in 2020 after protests and riots broke out in Minnesota during the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody during an arrest in Minneapolis. Walz called in the National Guard but declined an offer from the Trump administration for federal resources.
22. He Endorsed Hillary Clinton for President in 2016 and Biden in 2020
“I am proud to support Joe Biden because I know he’ll fight for all Minnesotans, unify our state, and help make our vision for One Minnesota a reality,” Walz said in 2020.
23. As Governor, He Signed a Law to Reform Law Enforcement
In 2020, Walz signed a bill that sought to reform policing in Minnesota, including limiting the use of chokeholds during arrests.
“George Floyd’s death brought the need for meaningful police reform into sharp focus for Minnesotans across the state,” he said in a statement. “After decades of advocacy by communities of color and Indigenous communities, the bipartisan passage of these measures is a critical step toward justice.”
24. He Signed a Law to Change How Minnesota Allocates Electoral College Delegates
The compact would award the state’s electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, regardless of whether that candidate won in Minnesota. The legislation would not take effect unless enough states to deliver the needed 270 electoral votes for victory also signed on.
25. He Expanded Paid Family Leave in Minnesota
Walz signed a bill that extended paid family leave to a maximum of 20 weeks per year for Minnesotans.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to the press in St. Paul, Minn., on June 3, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“By signing paid family and medical leave into law, we’re ensuring Minnesotans no longer have to make the choice between a paycheck and taking time off to care for a new baby or a sick family member,” he said in a 2023 statement.
26. He Implemented Strict Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
One policy included a stay-at-home order. His Department of Public Safety set up a hotline to report those violating the order.
27. If Elected, He Would Be the Third VP From Minnesota
The first was Humphrey, vice president to former President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the second was Walter Mondale, vice president to former President Jimmy Carter.
28. He Has Close Ties to Unions and Organized Labor
In a
letter calling on Harris to pick Walz, labor groups cited that “as governor, he has been an ally of working families.
29. He Expressed Support for Israel in its War With Hamas
“If you did not find moral clarity on Saturday morning, and you find yourself waiting to think about what you needed to say, you need to reevaluate where you’re at,” he said at a synagogue in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish state, according to a video of the event captured by
TC Jew Folk.
“What was evident on Saturday morning was the absolute lack of humanity, the terrorism and the barbarism,” he added. “That’s not a geopolitical discussion. That’s murder.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz discusses the upcoming 2024 legislative session at his office in the state Capitol in Saint Paul on Feb. 7, 2024. (Steve Karnowski, File/AP Photo)
30. He Condemned Anti-Semitism on College Campuses
“I think when Jewish students are telling us they feel unsafe in that, we need to believe them, and I do believe them,” he told a
local TV station in April. “Creating a space where political dissent or political rallying can happen is one thing. Intimidation is another.”
31. He Called for a ‘Working Cease-Fire’ Between Israel and Hamas
“I certainly call for a cease-fire. It has to be a working cease-fire,” he told a
local radio station in March.
32. He Is Supported by Teachers’ Unions
The National Education Association
called him “an unwavering champion for public school students and educators, and an ally for working families and unions.”
Stacy Robinson contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Walz’s rank with the Army National Guard in retirement. He rose to the rank of command sergeant major while on duty, but retired at a lower rank. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
