From Teacher to VP Candidate: The ABCs of Tim Walz

The name 👤Tim Walz has been on the lips of those waiting to see who Vice President Kamala Harris would pick as her running mate.

Now that she has made her choice, one question lingers — who is 👤Tim Walz?

Turns out, the answer is not as elusive as one may think.

The 60-year-old Walz is from rural Nebraska. He received a social science degree from Chadron State College in Nebraska, per the New York Times. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years and was a command sergeant major.

He met his wife, Gwen, met when the two were teachers. They have two children.

While teaching social studies, Walz decided to run for office. In 2006 he beat a Republican incumbent in Minnesota’s First District, an historically Republican rural area.

He represented that district in the House of Representatives for six terms and he was elected the state’s governor in 2018. He was re-elected won in 2022.

As governor, Walz has accomplished much to the delight of fellow Democrats.

This includes progressive policies such as preserving the right to abortion in the state, legalizing recreational marijuana use, setting paid medical and family leave requirements for employees and expanding background checks for gun purchases.