Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was not on any electoral ballot a couple of weeks ago. In fact, outside his state he was a complete unknown, despite a 12-year track record in the US Congress. But a televised appearance, a comment on the fly that became a viral meme and almost a campaign slogan, catapulted this 60-year-old former high school teacher to the top of the Democratic radar, and finally to his selection by Kamala Harris as her number two in the race for the White House.
Walz had no idea of the turn her life was about to take when, two weeks ago, after Joe Biden announced he was not seeking re-election and passed the baton to Vice President Harris, she commented while speaking about candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance that “it’s true. These people are weird.”
The epithet stuck. Overnight, it was repeated on social media, in comments by Democratic supporters, the party hierarchy, and Harris’ own advisers. The governor of Minnesota, with the appearance of a joker-grandfather — he looks older than his age; “so many years of teaching teenagers cost you your hair,” he jokes about his rotund baldness — had become a media-savvy political star and an unbeatable spokesperson for the vice president’s campaign. His speech captures the twist that Harris’s party wants to give to the Democratic message: less focus on the dangers of Trump returning to the White House and more on what they promise to improve and change if they win the November elections.
His blunt, humorous way of defending Democratic achievements and aspirations is not his only strength, nor is it his exclusive gift. Other vice presidential hopefuls, such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, are considered excellent orators.
Walz’s unique contribution is that he has a different background than other mainstream politicians. Unlike Shapiro or Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly—another candidate in the mix—he doesn’t come from a state that Democrats have to fight for, as Minnesota typically leans Democratic. But he is a veteran of the National Guard, and during his time on Capitol Hill he was the highest-ranking military member in the U.S. Congress and went on to chair the Veterans Affairs Committee, earning him great respect in the Pentagon and the Senate. falcons military on both sides of the political spectrum.
He can also point to roots in the American Midwest that connect him to ordinary citizens, and to a long history, first from his seat and then as governor, of supporting progressive causes. He is a radically different figure from his vice-presidential rival, Republican JD Vance; among the few things they share is their favourite brand of drink, a diet soda.
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It is no coincidence that in recent days her support has come mainly from groups and representatives of the left wing of the party. Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, an idol of the progressive sector, declared this weekend on Minnesota public radio: “I hope that the vice president opts for a number two who speaks and stands up to the powerful corporate interests. I think Tim Walz is someone who can do that.”
Unions also support him as a defender of workers’ rights. Along with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, the two were considered “the best for labor rights and the working class,” Shawn Fein, president of one of the largest unions, the UAW, said on CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday.
Former colleagues on Capitol Hill have also spoken out in his favor. “People in Minnesota tell me he’s a great governor… But more importantly, he’s a good person. He’s a natural, he’s a normal guy, what you see is what you get. There’s nothing fake about him, he calls a spade a spade. And I appreciate that candor,” Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the powerful Rules Committee, told the paper. The HillEven former House Speaker and Democratic powerbroker Nancy Pelosi seems to be on his side. Asked about the vice presidential candidates, a spokesperson said she “always has a special affection for her former colleagues.”
Walz got a late start in politics. Born and raised in a small town in Nebraska, he earned a science degree before embarking on a career in teaching. His first steps as a teacher were teaching English in China in 1989, the year of the Tiananmen massacre: there he learned Mandarin, a language he can still converse in.
Upon his return to the United States, he first taught in Nebraska, where he met his wife, Gwen, also a teacher at the school. “I was bothered by his loud voice, which could be heard from my classroom,” she said. The two have had two children, Hope and Gus, through in vitro fertilization. “We named our daughter Hope on purpose,” he said.
Married in 1994, they moved two years later to her home state of Minnesota to teach at Mankato West High School. There he became a popular teacher, famous for pushing students who refused to listen to him until they became interested in his geography classes. He became coach of the high school football team and led it to a state championship. He sponsored the first gay-straight student association.
His political debut came in 2006, when he ran for Congress in a district that had previously been staunchly Republican and won by surprise. He held on to his seat, winning elections every two years, until 2018, when he ran for governor. He won again and was re-elected in 2022. Today he is chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.
Under his leadership, and supported by a Democratic majority in the local legislature, Minnesota has passed a considerable list of progressive measures, from legalizing marijuana to protecting abortion rights and making school meals free. He has also passed anti-gun legislation; although he is a licensed gun owner and has been an avid hunter who received campaign donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA, the pro-gun lobby group). Since the 2017 massacre in Las Vegas, he began donating those amounts to charities. Today, the NRA considers him a governor who is negative for its interests.
Among his mistakes, he is accused of having delayed deploying the National Guard in the face of serious riots in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in 2020.
Following Harris’ selection, Walz will be replaced as governor by his second-in-command, Jenny Flanagan. The current lieutenant governor will be the first Native American woman to lead a state in the country.
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