Who is Tim Walz and why did Kamala Harris pick him as her Vice Presidential candidate?

I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate.

As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his.

It’s great to have him on the team.

Now let’s get to work. Join us:https://t.co/W4AE2WlMTj

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 6, 2024

The selection of a Vice Presidential candidate had been expected, with the Democratic Party’s official party convention to be held between August 19 and 22. The parties’ convention sees the official announcement of candidates. Who is Walz and what may have led Harris to choose him?

Who is Tim Walz?

Walz, 60, is the Governor of Minnesota. He shot into the news cycle last week, after describing the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird.”

He said in a TV appearance, “These are weird people on the other side: They want to take books away. They want to be in your exam room.” Walz was referring to how many Republican states introduced policies against schools having books with LGBTQ subjects. Many states have also supported greater control over women’s reproductive health.

Usage of the term “weird” as a line of political attack gained popularity after Walz used it, especially online.

Given his relatively low name recognition among those considered for the Vice Presidential post, his selection as Harris’ running mate may have come as a surprise. However, Walz’s track record as Minnesota’s governor is solid from the party’s perspective.

He has won over moderate voters while enacting progressive policies. The Guardian described him as a “straight-talking teacher” who gets directly to the heart of an issue. More importantly, Walz may be the party’s perfect midwestern antithesis to Republican VP candidate JD Vance, who also stresses his rural and non-elite upbringing.

Tim Walz was born in rural Nebraska and attended public schools. He served in the Army National Guard and then got a teaching degree. As a teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, he taught geography and coached the high school football team, while championing gay rights as the faculty advisor for his school’s first gay-straight alliance chapter in 1999.

Walz made his foray into politics in 2006, defeating the incumbent Gil Gutknecht in a major upset in a Republican-leaning congressional district. He successfully held this seat till 2016, following which he ran for the post of Governor in 2018 and 2022, winning both times. He also chairs the Democratic Governors Association.

Minnesota has largely supported the Democratic Party in elections. The state also gave the Democrats a government trifecta in 2022 with both legislative chambers and governorship under their control. As governor, Walz’s major wins include succeeding in introducing Democratic policies — instituting a right to abortion under state law, ensuring tuition-free meals at schools state-wide, guaranteeing paid medical and family leaves for the employed, etc.

Why did Kamala Harris pick Tim Walz?

First, it was long anticipated that Harris may pick a white man as her VP candidate. This was to achieve a political “balance” on the ticket, considering her own historic nomination as the first woman of Indian and Black origin from a major US party.

Walz’s background could also bring an advantage among upper Midwestern voters in the states of Wisconsin and Michigan, who are as likely to vote for either the Democrats or the Republicans (what are called “swing states”).

Harris emphasised Walz’s roots in her post, saying, “His convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s personal. He grew up in a small town in Nebraska, spending summers working on his family’s farm. His father died of cancer when he was 19, and his family relied on Social Security survivor benefit checks to make ends meet. At 17, he enlisted in the National Guard, serving for 24 years.”

She added, “He made Minnesota the first state in the country to pass a law providing constitutional abortion protections after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and as an avid hunter, he passed a bill requiring universal background checks for gun purchases.”

Ryan Dawkins, a political science professor at Minnesota’s Carleton College, described Walz as “somewhat of a unicorn” to Reuters. “A man born in a small town in rural Nebraska capable of conveying Harris’ message to core Democratic voters, and those that the party has failed to reach in recent years,” he said.