Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was little-known outside his state until he surged to the top of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ running mate shortlist in recent weeks, has officially been confirmed as Harris’ vice presidential pick.
The 60-year-old governor’s track record of winning over red-leaning voters makes him a compelling choice for the Democratic presidential ticket. Here’s what to know about Harris’ running mate:
Walz has roots in rural America
Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17. He graduated from Chadron State College in 1989.
With his wife, Gwen, he moved in 1996 to Mankato, Minnesota, where he taught in a public school for more than a decade before entering politics. He also has a master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Walz is the first vice presidential candidate on a Democratic ticket since 1964 who did not attend law school.
Walz was a teacher
Walz took up temporary teaching gigs in China and on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota before landing at Mankato West High School, where he taught geography and coached football for more than a decade.
In the mid-’90s, he became the faculty adviser to the school’s first gay-straight alliance — a role that Jacob Reitan, Mankato West’s first openly gay student, told The Washington Post was crucial.
“He set an example not just for LGTBQ students but for football players in the locker room at a time where gay people were not well understood,” Reitan said, adding that it was a sign of Walz’s ability to “sell seemingly progressive ideas to seemingly not progressive crowds.”
Walz served a red-leaning district in the U.S. House for 12 years
Walz was first elected to represent Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the House in 2006, a seat he was re-elected to five times.
Walz ran and won his last election for the district in 2016, the same year Donald Trump swept it by 15 points.








