Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been chosen as Vice President Harris’s running mate for the 2024 election, marking a huge rise in his political career. Walz, who is 60 years old, will begin campaigning alongside Harris with an event in Philadelphia.
Here are some key facts about Walz:
Before his political career, Walz worked as a teacher, after growing up in rural Nebraska and serving in the Army National Guard at 17. He taught high school social studies, coached football, and was active in student support roles. Walz frequently highlights his small-town roots, once noting that his hometown had only 400 residents and his graduating class consisted of 24 students.
With a background in teaching and military service, Tim Walz starts his campaign as Harris’s 2024 running mate with an event in Philadelphia
Walz’s political journey began in 2006 when he won a congressional seat, defeating Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht. Over his six terms in Congress, Walz became the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee and also served on the Agriculture Committee. Known for his military background, he was the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress.
Throughout his tenure, Walz supported policies like raising the minimum wage and stem cell research while occasionally breaking from his party on issues such as leadership choices and critiques of ObamaCare.
Walz’s stance on gun control evolved over time. Initially endorsed by the NRA with an “A” rating, Walz later embraced gun control measures as governor, including signing bills for expanded background checks and red flag laws in Minnesota.
Walz gained national attention with his characterization of Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, as “weird,” a phrase that resonated with many Democrats and highlighted his straightforward communication style.
His response to the George Floyd protests in 2020 also defined his tenure as governor, facing criticism for the timing of his National Guard deployment. The Trump campaign has already criticized Harris’s selection of Walz, framing it as aligning with a “radical left” agenda.
