By Miriam Raftery
August 7, 2024 (Philadelphia) – Large crowds packed a stadium in Philadelphia this week to see the first public speeches by Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her newly-named vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor and five-term Congressman Tim Walz. Walz brings leadership skills, expertise on rural and veterans’ issues, as well as Midwest common-sense values to the team. Raised on a farm, Walz served 24 years in the National Guard, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major.
He has also worked as a high school teacher and football coach, taking a team with 27 straight losses on to win the state championship for the first time in the school’s history. His affable manner and sense of humor also bring a sense of normalcy that appears to be welcomed by many voters, judging by the enthusiastic cheers heard throughout his first public speech as vice presidential running mate.
Walz has championed working families and personal freedoms. As Governor, he signed a bill into law assuring paid leave for workers to care for ill family members, cut taxes for working families, fought for free school lunches, lowered insulin fees to $35 a month for many Minnesotans, and signed the nation’s first statewide protections for abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.
After the George Floyd murder, Walz reconvened the Legislature for special sessions on police reform. Those reforms included restricting chokeholds and revamping training for officers to include de-escalation tactics, while also hiring more police officers, requiring body-worn cameras, and creating a special independent unit to investigate fatal police encounters.
Trump this week has slammed Walz’s handling of matters amid riots after the George Floyd murder. But at the time, Trump praised Walz’s actions, telling reporters, “I fully agree with the way he handled it.”
Walz has a history of winning in conservative districts, including being reelected five times to Congress. He served on the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Armed Services Committees, championing causes for veterans and farmers. He was the lead House sponsor of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. He voted against bills to bailout big banks, supported the Affordable Care Act, and voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill to invest in public infrastructure and jobs. He backed the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act, but also drew strong approval ratings from labor unions. He has signed a bill protecting workers against wage theft and walked a picket line with auto workers.
Trump has tried to denigrate Walz as an extreme “liberal”, though Walz was named the 7th most bipartisan member of Congress by the Bipartisan Index.
A hunter who owns guns, Walz was backed by the National Rifle Association(NRA) for his support of gun rights in several campaigns, but after the Parkland High School massacre, he donated his NRA contributions to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and denounced the NRA for refusing to support sensible gun regulations. Later as Governor, he signed into law bill establishing universal background checks to buy guns, as well as red-flag laws.
He has taken a middle ground on the Israel-Hamas conflict, condemning Hamas’ Oct.7 attacks in Israel but also calling the war in Gaza a “humanitarian crisis” and calling for a cease fire.
Born in West Point, Nebraska, he grew up on his family’s farm and joined the Army National Guard at age 17. He served for 24 years. Trained in heavy artillery, he suffered hearing loss as a result; after corrective surgery he advocated for healthcare coverage for all Americans. While in the National Guard, he worked in disaster response after floods and tornadoes, also deploying overseas. Post 9/11, he was deployed to Europe to support Operation Enduring Freedom, receiving the Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medals.
He married a teacher and moved to her home state, Minnesota. After obtaining his teaching degree and a master’s, he taught social studies and coached football; he was named most inspirational teacher at the school in a vote by students. When a gay student approached him to ask for help, he agreed to be the faculty sponsor for an LGBTQ club on campus. He has supported marriage equality and signed a bill that banned forced conversion therapy.
One blight on his overall honorable record occurred in 1995, when Walz was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. As a result, he stopped drinking alcohol.
Tim and Gwen Walz have two children, Hope and Gus. Hope was conceived through in-vitro fertilization after the couple struggled with fertility challenges. Governor Walz, at his first rally with Vice President Harris in Philadelphia, reinforced his strong belief that women should have the right to make their own reproductive health choices, and said those seeking to restrict those freedoms should “mind their own business.”
Walz takes umbrage with Trump’s VP candidate J.D. Vance, who has made derogatory comments about “childless cat ladies.” Walz and his family own a cat as well as a dog.
Speaking at the ralkly, Walz sarcastically said of Vance, “Like all regular people I grew up in the Heartland, J.D. studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller trashing that community. Come on! That’s what Middle America is, and I have to tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy. That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”
He’s also shown himself to be a formidable figure willing to stand up to Trump. While Walz has had a lifetime of service, he says Trump “serves himself” while mocking our laws. At the Philadelphia rally, he criticized Trump’s record as president, noting that violent crimes were up during the Trump administration, then added, “That’s not even counting the crimes he committed!” a reference to Trump’s conviction on 36 felonies and charges pending on dozens more alleged crimes.
As Harris and Walz hold a barnstorming tour across America’s heartland with numerous appearances to enthusiastic crowds packing each venue, also outpacing the Trump-Vance team in fundraising, Trump has held far fewer campaign events, with smaller crowds.