Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate and is all set to challenge Former President Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. If elected, Tim Walz will make a history as the third Vice president from Minnesota.  

Let’s explore the political life of the running mate of Vice President Kamala.  

Who is the Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz? 

Tim Walz, a 60-year-old man grew up in Rural Nebraska where he attended a public college and met his wife for the first time. They later relocated to Minnesota, where he became a high school social studies teacher and football coach in Mankato.  

In 2006, he successfully challenged a Republican incumbent to win a rare seat in Congress for Minnesota’s First District. He joined the Army National Guard at 17 and served 24 years of service and retired as a command sergeant major. 

Walz ran for the Governor post in 2018 and won the re-election in 2022. Currently, he leads the national campaign efforts for Democratic Governors. His military background stands in contrast to that of Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance, who served in the Marine Corps. 

Walz and his political journey 

Walz served six terms in the U.S. House before being elected as a Governor in 2018. He won by over 11 percentage points from the support from urban voters and those in the Minneapolis suburbs. He successfully ran for re-election in 2022. 

What is running mate Mr. Walz famous for? 

• Mr Walz gained national recognition due to his assertive Democratic agenda and has recently gained more attention through various media outlets and viral memes. 

• During Donald Trump recent visits to Minnesota, Walz made proactive remarks including the memorable phrase like “These guys are weird”, referring to both Trump and JD Vance, which struck in everyone’s mind. 

• Republicans often associate Walz with the extensive damage resulting from the Minneapolis riots after George Floyd’s murder. Although some critics argue that Walz delayed his response, he mobilized National Guard troops three days post-incident.

• Walz assured the residents that their rights are protected in the state by signing a law safeguarding abortion in Minnesota on January 2023.

• Later that year, he implemented a law mandatory to all schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to every student, although he chose not to eat lunch on the day of the signing the law. 

• An amendment to the 2023 campus safety law now allows school resource officers to place students in a prone position under certain circumstances.