Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is among those being considered to be vice president for presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. After a recent string of interviews, he could see his stock rising.
Reports have estimated that with a virtual roll call for the Democratic National Convention expected to begin on Aug. 1 and conclude on Aug. 5, all but cementing Harris as the nominee, she should announce her running mate within a week.
So here’s what you need to know about the up-and-coming Minnesota governor who’s been slingshotted into the spotlight following President Biden’s decision to step out of the race, endorse Harris, and open up a spot for someone new to step in as her running mate.
Walz has served as Minnesota’s governor since he first won the seat in 2018. In 2022, he successfully defended his position, winning a second term despite reports warning of the “red wave.”
In 2020, Walz was first thrust into the spotlight after the death of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. With protests and riots popping up around the world, the epicenter of the call for change was in Walz’s state.
A veteran and former high school teacher, Walz represented southern Minnesota’s rural 1st Congressional District in Congress for six terms before he stepped into the state’s top seat.
Now, after spending six years in office, he is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
Since it was reported that he was on the short list of contenders being thought of for Harris’s second spot, Walz has been making the rounds, but most recently, he made headlines after he said that former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (OH), were “weird.”
“Being a schoolteacher, I see a lot of things … People kept talking about: ‘Look, Donald Trump is going to put women’s lives at risk.’ That’s 100 percent true. ‘Donald Trump is potentially going to end constitutional liberties that we have, end voting.’ I do believe all those things are real possibilities. But it gives him way too much power,” Walz said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked about his viral clips.
Now strategists are suggesting that Walz may be a strong pick for Harris if she wants to take a page out of her competition’s playbook and select a candidate who can connect with rural America.
“Take it from this small-town guy: Donald Trump knows nothing about rural America,” Walz said. “That’s why he’s going to lose Minnesota. And Wisconsin. And Michigan. And Pennsylvania.”