by J. Patrick Coolican, Minnesota Reformer
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz fused his everyman personality with an optimistic progressive message to win the most important audition of his political career the past few weeks, winning the quick admiration of Democratic activists—and Vice President Kamala Harris, who announced Walz as her running mate Tuesday.
Harris’ selection of Walz rockets the former geography teacher from Midwest obscurity into the highest stratosphere of American politics, potentially joining Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale as Minnesotan vice presidents.
Walz’s selection follows his splashy arrival on the national stage during a series of high-profile TV interviews since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month and threw his weight behind his vice president.
Walz, who tends to talk in a Diet Mountain Dew-fueled, regular guy patois, has impressed Democrats with his ability to communicate the party’s message, while using a one-word zinger—“weird”—to hammer Republicans for book bans and pushing to outlaw abortion nationwide.
The two-term governor, who also served a dozen years in Congress, has racked up an impressive legislative record, especially in his second term. He signed bills to create a paid family and medical leave program; provide for universal free school meals; legalize recreational marijuana; sharply increase tax credits for low-income families; and boost sales and gas taxes for transportation and housing.
“Gov. Walz has been a strong leader, a great partner with the Legislature, and is an excellent choice for vice president,” said Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “We worked together over the last two years on the most productive session in Minnesota in decades, passing policies that will help Minnesotans build better lives for themselves and their families.”
Minnesota Republicans say Walz has changed the North Star State for the worse. Minnesota House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth wrote recently that “past two years featured some of the most extreme and irresponsible policies we’ve ever seen in our state,” citing tax and fee increases, unsustainable new spending, energy mandates that will hike rates, and a rise in the cost of Uber and Lyft rides.
Walz brings a resume that suggests both achievement and middle class roots: He was a high school teacher and assistant football coach in the southern Minnesota city of Mankato, population 45,000, before his election to Congress in 2006, becoming the first Democrat to win the 1st Congressional District in more than a decade.
He retired from the National Guard after 24 years in 2005 with the rank of command sergeant major, which made him the highest ranking enlisted man to ever serve in the U.S. Congress. Walz underwent surgery to restore his hearing, damaged after years of exposure to artillery ranges. He recently said he can hunt pheasants better than the GOP vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Expect Walz to post up in the so-called blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where the Harris campaign hopes his middle class demeanor will appeal to white, non-college voters who comprise a strong plurality of those battleground states.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com. Follow Minnesota Reformer on Facebook and X.
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