Tim Walz: From rural Teacher to potential Vice Presidential contender

With a single viral remark on cable TV—”these guys are just weird”—Tim Walz has emerged as a strong contender for Kamala Harris’s running mate. At 60, Walz combines a folksy, plain-spoken, and sharp-tongued approach to tackling Republican opposition. His diverse background includes roles as a public school teacher, football coach, and National Guardsman before venturing into politics.

Teacher, football coach, Congressman

A native of rural Nebraska, Walz spent his summers farming and hunting and enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17, serving for 24 years. His father, a public school administrator, encouraged him to join the military before passing away from lung cancer when Walz was 19. Social Security survivor benefits supported his mother, and the GI Bill funded his college education.

Armed with teaching degrees, Walz took a one-year teaching post in China around the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He later honeymooned in China with his wife, Gwen Whipple, and organized educational trips to China for U.S. students. After returning to Nebraska, Walz became a teacher and American football coach until his wife, also a teacher, drew him to her native Minnesota. They now have two children.

As a coach at Mankato West High School, Walz built an American football program that led the school to its first state championship. He earned praise for agreeing to be the faculty adviser for the school’s gay-straight alliance when homosexuality was largely frowned upon.

Political career

Walz first ran for office in a largely agricultural, Republican-leaning district in southern Minnesota, campaigning as a moderate who cared about public service and veterans’ advocacy. He won an election upset, voting for the Affordable Care Act, co-sponsoring pro-labour measures, and supporting a cap-and-trade effort for reducing carbon emissions. However, he also found common ground with Republicans, voting to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting tighter vetting of refugees, and opposing the Obama-era bailout of banks and car companies.

Endorsed by the pro-gun National Rifle Association (NRA), Walz lost their backing after advocating for an assault weapons ban following the Parkland school shooting.

In 2018, Walz won the Minnesota governor’s race by more than 11 points, though his first term was overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. Despite criticism for his handling of the protests, he won re-election and has overseen a busy second term with Democrats controlling the state legislature by a single seat. His administration has enacted abortion rights, paid family and sick leave, strengthened gun laws, funded universal free school meals, and invested in affordable housing.

National buzz

Largely unknown on the national scene, Walz has garnered attention for his acerbic descriptions of Republicans, calling them “weird people” who “want to ban books” and interfere in medical decisions. Republicans, however, argue that his policies are too radical for ordinary Americans. Tom Emmer, a high-ranking Republican, accused Walz of trying “to turn Minnesota into Kamala Harris’ home state of California.”

Despite criticism, allies like labor leaders believe Walz can broaden Harris’s appeal to rural and working-class voters. Angie Craig, a House Democrat, praised Walz as “a battle-tested leader” and a “proven winner who has never lost an election across many tough races,” advocating for him as the best addition to the Harris ticket.