‘Stand up and fight': Read Tim Walz's full speech to the Democratic National Convention

Editor’s note: The text of the speech below is as prepared. His actual delivery may have varied.Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris, for putting your trust in me and for inviting me to be part ofthis incredible campaign. Thank you to President Joe Biden for four years of strong, historicleadership. And it is the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the UnitedStates.We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason—we love this country! So thanks to all of youhere in Chicago and watching at home tonight—for your passion, for your determination, for the joythat you’re bringing to this fight.I grew up in the small town of Butte, Nebraska, population 400. I had 24 kids in my high school classand none of ’em went to Yale. Growing up in a small town like that, you learn to take care of eachother. The family down the road—they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, theymay not love like you do, but they’re your neighbors. And you look out for them, just like they do foryou.Everybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute. For me, it was serving in theArmy National Guard. I joined up two days after my 17th birthday and I proudly wore our country’suniform for 24 years. My dad, a Korean War-era veteran, died of lung cancer a couple years later andleft behind a mountain of medical debt. Thank God for Social Security survivor benefits. And thankGod for the GI Bill that allowed both my dad and me to go to college—just like it has for millions ofAmericans.Eventually, I fell in love with teaching, just like the rest of my family. Heck, three out of four of us evenmarried teachers. I wound up teaching social studies and coaching football at Mankato West HighSchool. Go Scarlets! We ran a 4-4 defense, played through the whistle every single down, and evenwon a state championship. Never close that yearbook, people.It was my students who first inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I hoped to instill inthem—a commitment to the common good. An understanding that we’re all in this together. And atrue belief that one person can make a real difference for their neighbors.So there I was, a 40-something high school teacher with young kids, zero political experience, nomoney, and running in a deep-red district. But you know what? Never underestimate a public schoolteacher.I represented my neighbors in Congress for 12 years and I learned an awful lot. I learned how to workacross the aisle on issues like growing rural economies and taking care of our veterans. And I learnedhow to compromise without compromising my values.Then I came back home to serve as governor and we got right to work making a difference in ourneighbors’ lives. We cut taxes for middle-class families. We passed paid family and medical leave. Weinvested in fighting crime and affordable housing. We cut the cost of prescription drugs and helpedpeople escape the kind of medical debt that nearly sank my family. And we made sure that every kidin our state got breakfast and lunch at school. So while other states were banning books from theirschools, we were banishing hunger from ours.We also protected reproductive freedom because, in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and thepersonal choices they make. And even if we wouldn’t make the same choices for ourselves, we’ve gota Golden Rule—mind your own damn business.That includes IVF and fertility treatments. This is personal for Gwen and me. Let me just saythis—even if you’ve never experienced the hell of infertility, I guarantee you know somebody who has. Iremember praying each night for a call with good news, the pit in my stomach when the phone wouldring, and the agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked. It took me and Gwen years.But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was finally born, we named herHope. Hope, Gus, Gwen—you are my whole world. I love you all so much.I’m letting you in on how we started our family because that’s a big part of what this election isabout—freedom. When Republicans use that word, they mean that the government should be free toinvade your doctor’s office. Corporations free to pollute the air and water. Banks free to takeadvantage of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean your freedom tomake a better life for yourself and the people you love. The freedom to make your own health caredecisions. And, yeah, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying they’ll be shot dead in thehalls.Look, I know guns. I’m a veteran. I’m a hunter. I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congressand I have the trophies to prove it. But I’m also a dad. I believe in the Second Amendment. But I alsobelieve that our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe. That’s what this is all about. Theresponsibility we have to our kids, to each other, and to the future we’re building together—a future inwhich everyone is free to build the kind of life they want.But not everyone feels the same sense of responsibility. Some folks just don’t understand what itmeans to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and JD Vance—their Project 2025 will make thingsmuch, much harder for people who are just trying to live their lives. They’ve spent a lot of timepretending they know nothing about it. But look, I coached high school football long enough, I promiseyou this—when somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they plan on using it.We know what they’ll do if they get back in the White House. They’ll jack up costs on middle-classfamilies. They’ll repeal the Affordable Care Act. They’ll gut Social Security and Medicare. They’ll banabortion across America, with or without Congress.It’s an agenda that nobody asked for. It’s an agenda that serves nobody but the richest people and themost extreme voices in our country. An agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need. Is itweird? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous. It’s not just me saying so. It’s Trump’s own people. They were with him for four years. And they’re warning us that the next four years would bemuch, much worse.When I was teaching, we would always elect a student body president. And you know what? Thoseteenagers could teach Donald Trump a lesson about what it means to be a leader. Leaders don’tspend all day insulting people and blaming people. Leaders do the work. I don’t know about you all,but I’m ready to turn the page on these guys. So say it with me: “We’re not going back.”We’ve got something better to offer the American people. It starts with our candidate, Kamala Harris.From her first day as a prosecutor, as a district attorney, as an attorney general, as a U.S. senator, andthen, as our vice president, she’s fought on the side of the American people. She’s taken on predatorsand fraudsters. She’s taken down transnational gangs. She’s stood up to powerful corporate interests.She’s never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving lives. And she’s always done itwith energy, passion, and joy.Folks, we have a chance to make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States. But I think weowe it to the American people to tell them exactly what she’d do as president before we ask for theirvotes. So here’s the part you clip and save and send to that undecided relative.If you’re a middle-class family or a family trying to get into the middle class, Kamala Harris is gonnacut your taxes. If you’re getting squeezed by the price of your prescription drugs, Kamala Harris isgonna take on Big Pharma. If you’re hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris is gonna help make it moreaffordable. And no matter who you are, Kamala Harris is gonna stand up and fight for your freedom tolive the life you want to lead. Because that’s what we want for ourselves. And that’s what we want forour neighbors.You know, I haven’t given a lot of big speeches like this one in my life. But I’ve given a lot of pep talks.So let me finish with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense.We’re driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team to win this. Kamala Harris is tough.She’s experienced. And she’s ready. Our job is to get in the trenches and do the blocking and tackling.One inch at a time, one yard at a time, one phone call at a time, one door knock at a time, one $5donation at a time. We’ve only got 76 days to go. That’s nothing. We’ll sleep when we’re dead. Andwe’re gonna leave it all on the field.That’s how we’ll keep moving forward. That’s how we’ll turn the page on Donald Trump. That’s howwe’ll build a country where workers come first, health care and housing are human rights, and thegovernment stays the hell out of our bedrooms. That’s how we make America a place where no childis left hungry. Where no community is left behind. Where nobody gets told they don’t belong.That’s how we’re gonna fight. And as the next president of the United States says, “When we fight, wewin!” When we fight, we win! When we fight, we win! Thank you, and God bless America!