Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as her running mate, Harris announced on Tuesday.
“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said at her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”
"I'm thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey," Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. "Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy."
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Walz, the governor of swing-state Minnesota, has become a powerful figure in the party thanks to his great success in pushing a variety of democratic initiatives, including expanding abortion rights, legalizing marijuana and gun reform.
The 60-year-old's success in Minnesota has been viewed by Democratic operatives as an example of how Harris' campaign could model her message on crucial issues in the 2024 election.
In 2022, Walz defied a "red wave" and won reelection in a heated race that also gave Minnesota Democrats control over both chambers for the first time in eight years.
“This isn’t about jamming down Democratic priorities. These are proven things that improve people’s lives,” Walz said in an interview according to NBC News, adding that Democratic policy goals so far “are about not allowing our people to be demonized” because of “Republicans wanting to go to war on social issues.”
Walz also oversaw the 2020 George Floyd protests, where he mobilized the National Guard to control protests and later filed civil rights charges against the Minneapolis Police Department.
"The investigation will review MPD's policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color," Walz said in a statement.
Among his most recent accomplishments, in 2023 Walz spearheaded a bill that gave free lunch and breakfast to all Minnesota students, regardless of income requirements set by a federal program. He also signed a bill allowing driver's licenses for all, regardless of immigration status.
“If there’s one thing I hope folks across this country recognize and take away from what we’re doing here in Minnesota, is it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you stop complaining about corporations going ‘woke’ and start giving a damn about real people and real lives," Walz said.
Walz was born in 1964 in West Point, Nebraska, a small town of less than 4,000 people.
Before becoming governor, Walz was a social studies high school teacher who later ran for office and served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He then held the highest position for a Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Walz also served for more than two decades in the Army National Guard, where he reached the Command Sergeant Major rank and was awarded the Army Commendation and Achievement medals.
Since 1995, Walz has been married to Gwen Whipple, who he met while they were teachers. They have two children together, Hope and Gus.
