US Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has confirmed her running mate will be Minnesota governor Tim Walz . If Harris wins the November 2024 election against Donald Trump , Walz would become America’s next vice president by the new year. The former teacher, 60, was thrilled to accept the appointment and has been largely welcomed by Democratic circles as a solid VP pick.
“It is the honour of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in,” Walz wrote on social media. He added: “Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible.
It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us.” Walz overcame competition for the position from other key political figures, such as Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro.
Harris introduced him as her VP pick at a raucous rally on Tuesday (August 6) in Philadelphia. He has already earned himself a catchphrase, branding his Republican opponents “weird” — and successfully enraging those on the right. He is notably also the first Democratic VP selection since 1964 who did not go to law school.
So, who is Walz and where does he stand on all the key issues in the upcoming US election? Walz was born in Nebraska on April 6, 1964, and grew up in a rural town called West Point near the South Dakota border. He taught in China as a young man before returning to the US, where he taught and coached American football at Alliance High School in Nebraska. Walz then helped Mankato West High School in Minnesota win its first state American football championship in 1999.
As an educator, Walz also supported LGBTQ+ students and was said to be a popular figure in Minnesota’s education system. Alongside being a teacher, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard — a voluntary role he continued for almost three decades. While supporting the military, Walz was deployed to natural disaster zones and reportedly deployed to Italy, where he supported US-Afghan operations.
Walz began his political career in 2006 after being elected to the House of Representatives, defeating the incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht. He was re-elected numerous times before becoming the Governor of Minnesota in 2018, a role he’s held ever since. Walz is a married father of two and initially positioned himself as a moderate Democratic candidate.
However, his take on various policies has seemingly shifted left in recent years. Here’s where he stands on the key policies. Walz shares a progressive position on environmental policies and has backed clean electricity laws and efforts to cut his state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
He previously agreed that climate change is an “existential threat,” with many climate groups praising Walz’s VP pick due to his environmental position. Business Insider said his state passed more than 40 climate initiatives in 2023. At a time when the realities of climate change are impossible to ignore, Walz appears determined to act for the good of the environment.
“I have to tell you, when I hear people say ‘You’re moving too fast’ — we can’t move too fast when it comes to addressing climate change,” Walz said in 2023. “This idea of waiting is a luxury we do not have, and Minnesotans do not have.” This is something that has angered Republicans.
“He'll rubber stamp Kamala's GREEN NEW SCAM and light TRILLIONS of dollars on fire,” Trump said in a scathing social media post. In 2023, Walz signed a law protecting abortion rights for people in Minnesota. He has also toured a Planned Parenthood clinic and has long shared support for reproductive rights and sexual health.
“By choosing Gov. Walz as her running mate, Vice President Harris has put forward the most pro-reproductive freedom ticket in history,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. America's longest-standing civil rights organization the National Rifle Association (NRA) NRA has endorsed Walz before.
He has reportedly called himself “one of the best shots in Congress”. However, he’s since distanced himself from the controversial gun lobby group and now advocates stricter gun control to keep Americans safe. Following the Parkland school shooting in February 2018 and conversations with his daughter, Walz affirmed his commitment to ending gun violence in the country.
“I know that there’s no place for weapons of war in our schools, or in our churches, or in our banks, or anywhere else people are just trying to live their lives without fear,” he said in his State of the State address in 2023. Walz isn’t necessarily from a state where immigration is a major political issue. However, many expect him to advocate a fairer system to help undocumented migrants feel safe.
“There’s no reason someone seeking asylum, which we will always be a guiding light for, should have to wait seven years to have that adjudicated,” he said in 2023. According to Time, he’s also passed bills that secured health insurance coverage regardless of a person’s immigration status. Walz has a long history of supporting American workers, signing a series of bills aiming to enhance employee rights and workplace protections.
In 2021, he backed plans to increase taxes for the richest Minnesotans and on capital gains while also cutting taxes for poorer families. Walz recently celebrated his child tax credit initiative for helping more than 215,000 Minnesota families. He’s also pushed for universal free school meals, legalised cannabis in his state, and supported investments in construction and renovation projects in Minnesota.
Walz is also an LGBTQ+ ally. According to Pink News , he’s banned conversion therapy in his state and signed a bill protecting trans youth who have come from other states. He’s also long stood up for same-sex marriage, and maintains a strong record of protecting people in his state regardless of their sexual orientation.
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