Who is Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor whom Kamala Harris chose as vice president?

Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate.

Walz made his first public appearance with Harris Tuesday night in Philadelphia, defeating Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for the second spot on the Democratic ticket.

He is known for his approachable, Midwestern style, which is what pundits and colleagues say has endeared the governor to his community and made him so electable and able to rise in national politics.

“Tim is just a really, really regular guy,” said former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio. The Guardian said.

Here’s what you need to know about Walz and Harris’ decision to select him over Shapiro.

Who is Tim Walz?

Walz, 60, currently serves as the 41st governor of Minnesota, after being elected in 2018 and taking office in January 2019. He was easily re-elected in 2022.

Before becoming governor, he was a congressman from Minnesota’s 1st congressional district, where he served for five terms and 13 years.

Monday Afternoon, Waltz he posted a video about his past on Xformerly Twitter. He talked about graduating from a high school class of 24, how he was related to half of them, and emphasized the values ​​he picked up along the way.

“I tried to teach my students what small-town Nebraska taught me: respect, compromise, service to country,” Walz says in the narration, as photos and video clips appear on the screen.

Walz worked for 20 years as a teacher and football coach in Alliance, Nebraska, and Mankato, Minnesota.

Before becoming a teacher, Walz served for 24 years in the Army National Guard. According to an archived view of his congressional website, Walz was “the highest-ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.” He was sent to Italy in support of U.S. efforts in the Afghan War in 2003, and also served overseas in disaster response.

He was born in Nebraska and grew up between the compact town of Valentine, which had a population of about 2,600 as of the 2020 census, and the village of Butte, Nebraska, with a population of 286.

He is chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and co-chair of the Rules Committee of the Democratic National Convention.

How did Tim Walz become eminent?

Walz’s 2006 congressional election was a major surprise. He defeated six-term incumbent Republican Congressman Gil Gutknecht.

That same year, Democrats won 30 seats and took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, despite opposition to then-President George W. Bush.

Walz was a social studies teacher who became involved in politics after taking a group of students to a 2004 Bush rally; at least one of them wore pins for Bush’s Democratic opponent, John Kerry. Walz was outraged when some rally attendees questioned his students’ political views and soon after began campaigning for Kerry.

In 2005, he attended a brief, progressive training program called Camp Wellstone. About two brief years after first entering politics, Walz announced he was running for Congress.

What are Tim Walz’s political views?

Walz is a member of the progressive Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, founded in 1944, whose platform includes workers’ rights, family-living wages and affordable health care. It is the state affiliate of the national Democratic Party in Minnesota.

AND Democratic Majority in State House and Senate means Walz was able to pass his agenda. He ended his 2023 legislative session with accomplishments that include:

Budget surplus in 2023 is part of a ‘record series of budget surpluses,’ he says MinnPost.

Why was he chosen and not Josh Shapiro?

Shapiro has faced the most criticism of any major vice presidential candidate since the selection process started two weeks ago.

The Pennsylvania governor’s popularity in the key swing state immediately catapulted him into the running as a potential vice presidential candidate, but some of Shapiro’s strategies have drawn pointed criticism from progressive voters and interest groups.

Shapiro has been criticized by teachers unions for his support of vouchers, which would provide state money to parents who send their children to private schools. Shapiro has said he supports vouchers in conjunction with increased funding for public education.

Shapiro was also a forceful supporter of Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a conflict that sharply divided the Democratic Party.

Many progressive Democrats have called for a ceasefire as Israel’s war with Hamas. As of July 22, more than 39,000 Palestinians and more than 1,500 Israelis have been reported killed in the conflict.

Yet many in the Democratic Party support Israel. This has been shown to be largely a generational divide, with younger voters often more sympathetic to a pro-Palestinian position.

Shapiro’s supporters say the governor has been unfairly criticized for his pro-Israel stance because of his Jewish background, condemning the opposition as anti-Semitic. Walz has also supported Israel throughout his career, as have other vice presidential candidates.

What’s next for Josh Shapiro?

Shapiro will continue to serve as governor of Pennsylvania. He will run for re-election in 2026.

IN statement sent to XShapiro said the vice president’s decision was “very personal” to him.

“My work here is far from over — there is still much I want to do for the good people of this community,” he said.

He added that he plans to spend the next three months crisscrossing the state campaigning for Harris and Walz.

What does Walz mean for the viability of the Pennsylvania campaign?

Will Walz’s Midwestern charm lend a hand the Harris campaign win? the red parts of the state remain an unknown.

Pennsylvania is a key swing state in the presidential election. That’s likely one reason Shapiro is so high on Harris’ list of vice presidential candidates. Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady, who campaigned very publicly for Shapiro’s vice presidential bid, said he thinks the path to winning Pennsylvania would undoubtedly be easier with Shapiro.

“You wouldn’t have respect for me if I said it didn’t matter,” Brady said. “It does matter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t win this.”

What criticism has Walz faced?

Walz has faced criticism for his response to protests following the death of George Floyd in his state in 2020. Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

The police killing sparked nationwide protests, including in Minnesota. Minneapolis also saw arson and other unrest following Floyd’s killing. The Minneapolis mayor asked Walz to send in the National Guard on May 27, two days after Floyd’s death, because local police were overwhelmed. Walz did not deploy troops to the next afternoon.

A 2020 Minnesota Senate report found that “Governor Walz had the ability and responsibility to use force and law enforcement to deter criminal violence but failed to do so.”

Minneapolis properties suffered $350 million in losses. Two people died in a riot. One person was found dead in the charred remains of a burned building. Another was shot by a pawn shop owner.

Walz faced criticism from then-President Donald Trump, as well as recently when Trump visited the state.

In a statement for The New York Times published on TuesdayA Walz spokesman said: “Governor Walz took action and deployed the National Guard to keep our city safe.”

Who will be Minnesota’s next governor?

If Harris and Walz win, state law says they will be succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.

According to MinnPost, she would be the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first governor of Native American descent.

Flanagan is currently the highest-ranking Indigenous woman in the country elected to a leadership position, official biography says. She is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

Journalists Julia Terruso and Emily Bloch assisted in preparing this article.