# Vice Presidential Example

#### Rachel Rogers

#### 2024-08-29

# Latest Article

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Timothy
James
Walz
(/wɔ:lz
/ⓘ
WAWLZ;
born
April
6,
1964)
is
an
American
politician,
retired
U.S.
Army
non
-
commissioned
officer
and
former
schoolteacher.
He
has
served
as
the
41st
governor
of
Minnesota
since
2019.
He
is
the
Democratic
Party’s
nominee
for
vice
president
in
the
2024
United
States
presidential
election.
He
was
a
member
of
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
from
2007
to
2019,
and
was
the
ranking
member
of
the
House
Veterans
Affairs
Committee
from
2017
to
2019.
Walz
was
born
in
West
Point,
Nebraska.
After
high
school,
he
joined
the
Army
National
Guard
and
worked
in
a
factory.
He
later
graduated
from
Chadron
State
College
in
Nebraska
before
moving
to
Minnesota
in
1996.
Before
running
for
Congress,
he
was
a
high
school
social
studies
teacher
and
football
coach.
He
was
elected
to
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
for
Minnesota’s
1st
congressional
district
in
2006,
defeating
six
-
term
Republican
incumbent
Gil
Gutknecht.
Walz
was
reelected
to
the
House
five
times
before
being
elected
governor
of
Minnesota
in
2018
and
reelected
in
2022.
During
his
second
gubernatorial
term,
he
pushed
for
and
signed
a
wide
range
of
legislation,
including
tax
modifications,
free
school
meals,
bolstering
state
infrastructure,
universal
gun
background
checks,
codifying
abortion
rights,
and
free
college
tuition
for
low
-
income
families.
On
August
6,
2024,
Vice
President
Kamala
Harris
announced
Walz
as
her
running
mate
in
the
2024
U.S.
presidential
election.
Timothy
James
Walz
was
born
on
April
6,
1964,
in
West
Point,
Nebraska
at
Memorial
Hospital.
His
mother,
Darlene
Rose
Reiman,
was
a
homemaker
and
was
raised
on
a
farm.
His
father,
James
Frederick
Walz,
was
a
teacher,
school
superintendent,
and
U.S.
Army
veteran
who
served
in
the
Korean
War
and,
as
a
child,
helped
with
the
family
butcher
store.
Walz
is
of
German,
Swedish,
Luxembourgish,
and
Irish
descent;
in
1867
his
great
-
great
-
grandfather
Sebastian
Walz
emigrated
to
the
United
States
from
Kuppenheim
in
the
Grand
Duchy
of
Baden.
One
of
his
grandmothers
was
Swedish
American,
and
one
of
his
great
-
grandmothers
was
Irish
American.
He
was
raised
Catholic.
Walz
and
his
three
siblings
grew
up
in
Valentine,
Nebraska,
a
rural
community
in
the
northwestern
part
of
state,
in
an
area
of
farms
and
ranchland.
In
school,
he
played
football
and
basketball
and
ran
track.
After
school,
he
would
go
hunting
with
his
friends.
While
Walz
was
in
high
school,
his
father,
who
was
a
chain
smoker,
was
diagnosed
with
lung
cancer.
After
his
father’s
diagnosis,
his
family
moved
to
the
rural
village
of
Butte,
Nebraska,
to
be
closer
to
his
mother’s
relatives.
During
the
summers,
he
worked
on
the
farm.
Walz
graduated
from
Butte
High
School
in
1982
in
a
class
of
25
students.
Walz’s
father
died
in
January
1984,
which
left
his
mother
and
younger
brother
dependent
on
social
security
survivor
benefits
for
support.
Tim
Walz
moved
to
Texas
and
took
courses
at
the
University
of
Houston
in
East
Asian
studies
while
being
enlisted
in
the
Texas
Army
National
Guard.
Afterward,
he
went
to
Arkansas,
where
he
built
tanning
beds
in
a
factory
and
was
an
instructor
in
the
Arkansas
Army
National
Guard.
In
1987,
Walz
returned
to
Nebraska
and
continued
his
education
at
Chadron
State
College,
where
he
earned
a
bachelor
of
science
degree
in
social
science
education
in
1989.
After
graduating
from
Chadron
State
College
in
1989,
Walz
accepted
a
one
-
year
teaching
position
with
WorldTeach
in
Foshan
No.1
High
School
in
Guangdong,
China.
He
described
the
Tiananmen
Square
massacre
that
happened
right
before
he
arrived
as
an
important
moment
in
his
life.
He
has
said
that
the
problem
with
China
is
not
the
people
but
the
government,
and
that
with
the
right
leadership
the
Chinese
people
could
accomplish
anything.
After
returning,
he
took
a
job
teaching
and
coaching
in
Alliance,
a
town
of
ten
thousand
in
western
Nebraska,
and
in
1993,
was
named
Outstanding
Young
Nebraskan
by
the
Nebraska
Junior
Chamber
of
Commerce.
While
working
as
a
teacher,
Walz
met
his
wife,
Gwen
Whipple,
a
fellow
teacher,
and
in
1994
the
two
married.
Two
years
later,
they
moved
to
Mankato,
Minnesota,
Gwen’s
home
state,
where
Walz
worked
as
a
geography
teacher
and
football
coach
at
Mankato
West
High
School.
The
football
team
had
lost
27
straight
games
when
he
joined
the
coaching
staff
as
a
defensive
coordinator.
Three
years
later,
in
1999,
the
team
won
its
first
state
championship.
In
1999,
Walz
agreed
to
be
the
faculty
advisor
of
Mankato
West
High
School’s
first
gay
-
straight
alliance.
He
felt
it
was
important
that
the
faculty
advisor
was
the
football
coach,
a
soldier,
straight,
and
married,
to
show
that
different
worlds
can
coexist.
For
nine
years
Walz
and
his
wife
also
ran
Educational
Travel
Adventures,
which
organized
summer
educational
trips
to
China
for
high
-
school
students.
Walz
earned
a
master
of
science
in
educational
leadership
from
Minnesota
State
University,
Mankato,
in
2001,
writing
his
master’s
thesis
on
Holocaust
education.
In
March
2006,
he
took
a
leave
of
absence
from
teaching
to
focus
on
his
congressional
campaign.
With
his
father’s
encouragement,
Walz
enlisted
in
the
Army
National
Guard
two
days
after
he
turned
17.
His
father
had
served
in
the
Korean
War
and
paid
for
his
education
degree
with
the
G.I.
Bill,
and
he
wanted
his
son
to
have
the
same
opportunity.
Walz
served
in
the
National
Guard
for
24
years
after
enlisting
in
1981.
During
his
military
career,
he
had
postings
in
Arkansas,
Texas,
the
Arctic
Circle,
New
Ulm,
Minnesota,
Italy,
and
elsewhere.
He
trained
in
heavy
artillery.
During
his
service,
he
worked
in
disaster
response
postings
following
floods
and
tornadoes
and
was
deployed
overseas.
In
1989,
he
earned
the
title
of
Nebraska
Citizen
-
Soldier
of
the
Year.
After
Walz
completed
the
20
years
of
service
needed
for
retirement
from
the
Guard,
he
reenlisted
instead
of
retiring,
and
later
cited
the
September
11,
2001
attacks
as
the
reason
for
his
reenlistment.
Walz
was
able
to
retire
from
August
2002,
according
to
the
National
Guard.
In
August
2003,
Walz
deployed
with
the
Minnesota
National
Guard
to
Vicenza,
Italy,
for
nine
months,
to
serve
with
the
European
Security
Force
as
part
of
Operation
Enduring
Freedom.
Walz
attained
the
rank
of
command
sergeant
major
near
the
end
of
his
service
and
briefly
was
the
senior
enlisted
soldier
of
1st
Battalion,
125th
Field
Artillery
Regiment.
His
decorations
included
the
Army
Commendation
Medal,
two
Army
Achievement
Medals,
two
National
Defense
Service
Medals,
a
Global
War
on
Terrorism
Service
Medal,
and
an
Army
Reserve
Components
Achievement
Medal
with
five
oakleaf
clusters.
In
late
2004,
Walz
submitted
his
retirement
papers.
On
February
10,
2005,
he
filed
official
documents
to
run
for
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives.
In
March,
the
National
Guard
announced
a
possible
deployment
of
around
2,000
soldiers
from
across
the
Minnesota
National
Guard
to
Iraq
sometime
in
the
next
two
years.
Walz
said
he
would
deploy
if
called
upon.
The
National
Guard
finished
processing
his
retirement
paperwork
in
May,
and
Walz
retired
from
military
service
on
May
16.
He
later
explained
that
he
retired
in
order
to
focus
on
his
campaign
for
Congress
and
did
not
want
to
violate
the
Hatch
Act,
which
forbids
some
political
activities
by
federal
government
employees.
The
Minnesota
National
Guard
confirmed
that
Walz
retired
two
months
before
his
unit
was
notified
on
July
14
of
its
potential
deployment
to
Iraq.
The
unit
received
its
official
mobilization
order
in
August
and
deployed
to
Iraq
in
March
2006.
During
his
political
career,
Republicans,
notably
Donald
Trump
Jr.,
Charlie
Kirk,
and
JD
Vance,
have
used
the
timing
of
Walz’s
military
retirement
as
a
smear
campaign
that
has
been
compared
to
swiftboating.
A
National
Guard
colleague,
Joe
Eustice,
recalled
that
at
the
time
Walz
retired,
his
unit’s
deployment
was
only
a
“rumor”
and
not
yet
confirmed,
while
his
enlisted
superior,
Doug
Julin,
said
that
Walz
bypassed
his
retirement
approval,
instead
receiving
retirement
approval
from
two
higher
-
ranked
officers.
Though
he
was
serving
as
a
command
sergeant
major
at
the
time
of
his
retirement,
Walz’s
final
military
rank
for
retirement
benefit
purposes
is
master
sergeant,
as
he
had
not
completed
the
required
academic
coursework
to
remain
a
command
sergeant
major
before
his
retirement.
The
National
Guard
processed
the
adjustment
of
his
rank
in
September
2005,
but
the
effective
date
was
made
retroactive
to
the
day
before
his
military
retirement
in
May
2005.
A
public
affairs
officer
for
the
Minnesota
National
Guard
in
2018
said
it
was
“legitimate
for
Walz
to
say
he
served
as
a
command
sergeant
major”.
A
reference
to
Walz
on
his
official
campaign
website
as
a
“retired
command
sergeant
major”
was
later
updated
to
read
he
“once
served
at
the
command
sergeant
major
rank”.
Walz
was
trained
on,
carried,
and
used
weapons
of
war
when
the
U.S.
was
at
war,
but
did
not
deploy
to
an
active
combat
zone
during
his
service.
At
a
meeting
about
reducing
gun
violence
in
2018,
he
argued
for
some
kinds
of
reform,
saying,
“We
can
make
sure
that
those
weapons
of
war
that
I
carried
in
war
is
the
only
place
where
those
weapons
are
at.”
The
use
of
the
phrase
“in
war”
on
this
one
occasion
was
criticized
by
Vance.
The
Harris
campaign
responded
that
Walz
“misspoke”.
Walz
became
first
active
in
politics
in
August
2004,
when
he
volunteered
for
John
Kerry’s
presidential
campaign.
He
was
inspired
to
volunteer
in
the
presidential
election
after
he
took
a
group
of
students
to
a
George
W.
Bush
rally
in
Mankato,
and
was
angered
by
the
security
team’s
questioning
of
his
students’
politics
after
they
saw
a
Kerry
sticker
on
a
student’s
wallet.
He
was
appointed
the
Kerry
campaign’s
coordinator
for
his
county
as
well
as
a
district
coordinator
of
Vets
for
Kerry.
In
January
2005,
Walz
completed
the
three
-
day
campaigns
and
elections
crash
course
at
Camp
Wellstone,
a
program
run
by
Wellstone
Action,
the
nonprofit
organization
Mark
and
David
Wellstone
created
to
carry
on
the
work
of
their
parents,
Paul
Wellstone
and
Sheila
Wellstone.
On
February
10,
2005,
Walz
filed
to
run
for
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
from
Minnesota’s
1st
congressional
district.
The
district
consisted
mostly
of
Republican
-
leaning
independents.
He
had
no
opponent
for
the
Minnesota
Democratic
-
Farmer
-
Labor
Party
(DFL)
nomination
in
the
2006
primary
election.
In
the
general
election,
he
faced
Republican
Gil
Gutknecht,
a
six
-
term
incumbent.
During
the
campaign,
Walz
accused
Gutknecht
of
extending
tax
cuts
to
“Wall
Street”
and
sought
to
tie
Gutknecht
to
President
George
W.
Bush.
A
centerpiece
of
Walz’s
campaign
was
opposition
to
the
Iraq
War,
as
the
war’s
popularity
was
declining
that
year.
Walz
won
the
election
with
53%
of
the
vote.
After
his
victory,
Politico
described
Gutknecht
as
having
been
caught
“off
guard”
and
Walz
as
having
“resolved
never
to
get
caught
like
that
himself….
He
packaged
himself
as
a
moderate
from
Day
One,
built
an
office
centered
on
constituent
service
and
carved
out
a
niche
as
a
tireless
advocate
for
veterans.”
Walz
was
reelected
in
2008
with
62%
of
the
vote,
becoming
only
the
second
non
-
Republican
to
win
a
second
full
term
in
the
district.
He
won
a
third
term
in
2010
with
49%
of
the
vote
in
a
three
-
way
race
against
Republican
state
representative
Randy
Demmer
and
independent
former
diplomat
Steve
Wilson.
He
was
reelected
by
comfortable
margins
in
2012
and
2014.
In
2016,
Walz
was
narrowly
reelected
to
a
sixth
term,
defeating
Republican
Jim
Hagedorn,
who
later
succeeded
Walz
as
congressman,
by
0.7%
(or
2,548
votes),
even
as
his
district
overwhelmingly
voted
for
Donald
Trump
in
the
concurrent
presidential
election.
After
that,
and
as
his
district
trended
more
Republican,
Walz
did
not
seek
a
seventh
term
in
2018,
instead
running
for
governor.
Upon
his
swearing
in
at
the
beginning
of
the
110th
Congress,
Walz
became
the
highest
-
ranking
retired
enlisted
soldier
ever
to
serve
in
Congress,
as
well
as
only
the
fourth
Democrat
/DFLer
to
represent
his
district.
The
others
were
Thomas
Wilson
(1887
-
1889),
William
Harries
(1891
-
1893),
and
Tim
Penny
(1983
-
1995).
Even
as
he
represented
a
district
that
had
usually
voted
Republican,
pundits
described
Walz’s
policy
positions
as
ranging
from
moderate
to
progressive.
In
his
first
month
in
Congress,
Walz
was
appointed
to
the
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs,
the
Agriculture
Committee,
and
the
Transportation
and
Infrastructure
Committee;
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi
issued
a
special
waiver
exempting
him
from
the
order
that
barred
most
freshman
members
of
Congress
from
serving
on
more
than
two
committees.
That
same
year
he
was
appointed
to
the
Armed
Services
Committee.
In
his
first
week
as
a
legislator,
Walz
cosponsored
a
bill
to
raise
the
minimum
wage,
voted
for
stem
cell
research,
voted
to
allow
Medicare
to
negotiate
pharmaceutical
prices,
and
voiced
support
for
pay
-
as
-
you
-
go
budget
rules,
requiring
that
new
spending
or
tax
changes
not
add
to
the
federal
deficit.
An
opponent
of
the
Iraq
war,
Walz
opposed
the
Bush
administration’s
plan
to
send
an
additional
21,500
troops
to
Iraq
in
2007.
But
he
voted
in
favor
of
a
bill
in
May
of
that
year
that
provided
nearly
$95
billion
in
funding
for
the
war
through
September
30.
Walz
explained
that
his
vote
was
to
ensure
the
safety
of
American
troops
while
also
saying
he
would
continue
to
negotiate
a
process
to
pull
troops
from
Iraq.
He
reiterated
his
support
for
ending
the
war
in
October,
and
called
on
those
who
opposed
the
war
to
“have
their
voice
be
heard”.
During
the
economic
crisis
in
2008,
Walz
repeatedly
spoke
out
against
using
taxpayer
money
to
bail
out
financial
institutions;
in
late
September,
he
voted
against
the
$700
billion
TARP
bill,
which
purchased
troubled
assets
from
these
institutions.
Walz
released
a
statement
after
the
bill’s
passage,
saying:
“The
bill
we
voted
on
today
passes
the
buck
when
it
comes
to
recouping
the
losses
taxpayers
might
suffer.
I
also
regret
that
this
bill
does
not
do
enough
to
help
average
homeowners,
or
provide
sufficient
oversight
of
Wall
Street.”
In
December
2008,
Walz
voted
against
the
bill
that
offered
$14
billion
in
government
loans
to
bail
out
the
country’s
large
automobile
manufacturers.
In
June
2009,
he
introduced
a
bipartisan
resolution
calling
on
the
federal
government
to
“relinquish
its
temporary
ownership
interests
in
the
General
Motors
Company
and
the
Chrysler
Group,
LLC,
as
soon
as
possible”
and
said
that
the
government
must
not
be
involved
in
those
companies’
management
decisions.
Walz
voted
for
the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Act
of
2009.
As
a
member
of
the
House
Transportation
Committee,
he
saw
the
stimulus
bill
as
an
opportunity
to
work
“with
his
congressional
colleagues
to
make
job
creation
through
investment
in
public
infrastructure
like
roads,
bridges
and
clean
energy
the
cornerstone
of
the
economic
recovery
plan”.
Walz
has
focused
heavily
on
job
and
economic
issues
important
to
the
southern
Minnesota
district
he
represented
in
Congress,
which
has
a
mix
of
larger
employers
such
as
the
Mayo
Clinic
and
small
businesses
and
agricultural
interests.
In
July
2009,
he
voted
for
the
Enhancing
Small
Business
Research
and
Innovation
Act,
which
he
called
“part
of
our
long
-
term
economic
blueprint
to
spur
job
creation
by
encouraging
America’s
entrepreneurs
to
innovate
toward
breakthrough
technological
advancements”.
Walz
also
urged
assistance
for
hog
and
dairy
farmers
who
struggled
with
lower
prices
for
their
commodities
in
2008
and
2009.
Voting
for
the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Act,
Walz
pointed
to
its
strong
provisions
in
support
of
public
school
buildings.
He
is
on
record
supporting
legislation
to
lower
tuition
costs.
In
a
February
2009
speech,
he
said
that
the
most
important
thing
to
do
“to
ensure
a
solid
base
for
economic
future…
is
to
provide
the
best
education
possible
for
children.”
Walz
has
received
strong
backing
for
these
policies
from
many
interest
groups,
including
the
National
Education
Association,
the
American
Association
of
University
Women,
and
the
National
Association
of
Elementary
School
Principals.
In
February
2008,
Walz
endorsed
the
candidacy
of
Barack
Obama
in
the
2008
Democratic
Party
presidential
primaries.
During
the
Obama
administration,
he
voted
to
advance
the
Affordable
Care
Act
out
of
the
House.
Walz
was
a
significant
supporter
of
the
STOCK
Act,
which
bans
congressional
insider
trading.
Obama
signed
it
into
law
in
April
2012.
Walz
also
met
with
the
Dalai
Lama
and
served
on
a
commission
monitoring
human
-
rights
in
China.
During
the
2013
federal
government
shutdown,
Walz
chose
not
to
accept
his
congressional
pay,
instead
donating
it
to
hunger
-
relief
organizations.
He
accused
the
political
Tea
Party
movement
of
contributing
to
the
shutdown,
calling
it
“reckless”
and
“completely
avoidable”.
“No
one
should
be
patting
themselves
on
the
back
about
doing
the
basic
work
of
government”,
Walz
said.
In
2016,
he
voted
to
condemn
UN
Security
Council
Resolution
2334,
which
called
the
building
of
Israeli
settlements
in
the
occupied
Palestinian
territories
a
violation
of
international
law.
Walz
was
ranked
the
7th
-
most
bipartisan
House
member
during
the
114th
Congress
(and
the
most
bipartisan
member
from
Minnesota)
in
the
Bipartisan
Index
created
by
the
Lugar
Center
and
the
McCourt
School
of
Public
Policy,
which
ranks
members
of
Congress
by
measuring
how
often
their
bills
attract
co
-
sponsors
from
the
opposite
party
and
how
often
they
co
-
sponsor
bills
by
members
of
the
opposite
party.
In
early
2015,
he
endorsed
the
candidacy
of
Hillary
Clinton
in
the
2016
Democratic
Party
presidential
primaries.
In
2017,
Walz
was
floated
as
a
possible
candidate
for
the
2018
special
election
for
the
U.S.
Senate
seat
held
by
Al
Franken,
even
though
Walz
had
already
announced
his
campaign
for
governor.
He
declined
to
run
and
endorsed
Lieutenant
Governor
Tina
Smith
after
she
launched
her
campaign
for
the
seat.
In
March
2017,
after
Mark
Dayton,
the
incumbent
governor,
chose
not
to
seek
another
term,
Walz
announced
he
would
run
for
governor.
His
main
opponent
in
the
Democratic
primary
was
originally
State
Representative
Erin
Murphy,
who
won
the
state
party
endorsement
at
the
party’s
convention
in
June
2018.
Shortly
thereafter,
state
Attorney
General
Lori
Swanson
entered
the
race
late
in
the
campaign.
Walz
defeated
Murphy
and
Swanson
in
the
August
primary
election
with
a
41.60%
plurality.
On
November
6,
2018,
he
was
elected
governor,
defeating
the
Republican
nominee,
Hennepin
County
commissioner
Jeff
Johnson,
53.84%
to
42.43%.
Walz
sought
reelection
in
2022.
He
won
the
August
9
Democratic
primary
and
faced
Republican
nominee
Scott
Jensen
in
the
November
general
election.
On
November
8,
2022,
Walz
defeated
Jensen,
52.3%
to
44.6%.
Walz
was
sworn
in
as
governor
of
Minnesota
on
January
7,
2019,
at
the
Fitzgerald
Theater
in
Saint
Paul.
He
took
the
oath
of
office
alongside
the
incoming
lieutenant
governor,
Peggy
Flanagan;
Minnesota
secretary
of
state
Steve
Simon;
Minnesota
state
auditor
Julie
Blaha;
and
Minnesota
attorney
general
Keith
Ellison,
all
Democrats.
Walz
spoke
about
education
and
healthcare
reform
in
his
inauguration
speech.
Later
in
2019,
President
Donald
Trump
appointed
Walz
to
the
bipartisan
Council
of
Governors;
in
2021
President
Joe
Biden
appointed
Walz
as
a
co
-
chairman
of
the
Council
of
Governors.
In
2023,
Walz
was
named
chair
of
the
Democratic
Governors
Association,
a
high
-
profile
position
that
involves
supporting
other
governors
in
tight
races.
He
stepped
down
after
being
selected
as
Kamala
Harris’s
running
mate.
Kansas
Governor
Laura
Kelly
succeeded
him
as
chair.
On
May
26,
2020,
the
day
after
the
murder
of
George
Floyd,
Walz
and
Lieutenant
Governor
Peggy
Flanagan
demanded
justice
and
called
the
video
of
Minneapolis
police
officer
Derek
Chauvin
kneeling
on
George
Floyd’s
neck
“disturbing”.
Walz
elaborated,
“The
lack
of
humanity
in
this
disturbing
video
is
sickening.
We
will
get
answers
and
seek
justice”.
In
response
to
riots
in
Minnesota,
Walz
partially
activated
the
Minnesota
National
Guard
on
May
28,
and
fully
activated
it
on
May
30.
President
Trump
reacted
to
Walz’s
actions
by
saying
that
he
was
“very
happy”
and
that
he
did
“fully
agree
with
the
way
handled
it…
what
did
in
Minneapolis
was
incredible”.
Trump
called
Walz
an
“excellent
guy”.
Trump
also
publicly
claimed
credit
for
deploying
the
Minnesota
National
Guard;
Walz’s
office
said
Trump
had
no
impact
on
Walz’s
deployments
of
the
Guard.
Several
Republicans
criticized
Walz’s
initial
response
to
the
widespread
protests
following
Floyd’s
murder.
He
later
responded
to
the
murder
by
ordering
the
Minnesota
legislature
to
reconvene
for
special
sessions
on
legislation
for
police
reform
and
accountability.
After
police
reform
failed
to
pass
the
first
special
session
in
June,
a
second
special
session
was
held
in
July.
On
July
21,
the
legislature
passed
significant
police
reform
legislation.
The
new
compromise
law
included
a
limited
ban
on
police
from
using
chokeholds
so
long
as
the
officers
are
not
at
greater
risk.
It
banned
the
old
warrior
training
program,
which
was
regarded
as
dehumanizing
people
and
encouraging
aggressive
conduct.
It
required
training
peace
officers
to
deal
with
people
with
autism
or
in
a
mental
health
crisis
and
deescalation
training
for
situations
that
could
turn
volatile.
It
also
created
a
special
independent
unit
at
the
Bureau
of
Criminal
Apprehension
for
investigations
of
fatal
police
encounters
and
a
community
relations
advisory
council
to
consult
with
the
Police
Officers
Standards
and
Training
Board
on
policy
changes.
Walz
signed
the
legislation
into
law
on
July
23,
2020.
In
January
2023,
Walz
signed
the
Protect
Reproductive
Options
Act,
which
protects
access
to
reproductive
health
care
including
abortion,
contraception,
and
fertility
treatments
in
Minnesota.
Abortion
is
legal
at
all
stages
of
pregnancy
in
Minnesota.
In
April
2023,
he
signed
the
Reproductive
Freedom
Defense
Act,
which
banned
state
agencies
from
“enforcing
out
-
of
-
state
subpoenas,
arrest
warrants,
and
extradition
requests”
for
people
who
travel
to
Minnesota
for
legal
abortion,
limited
the
release
of
related
health
records,
and
cut
funding
for
crisis
pregnancy
centers,
which
provide
counseling
and
supplies
to
pregnant
people,
often
attempting
to
discourage
them
from
seeking
abortions.
Some
share
inaccurate
or
misleading
information.
In
early
2023,
Walz
signed
a
law
requiring
Minnesota
to
obtain
all
of
its
electricity
from
wind,
solar,
and
other
carbon
-
free
sources
by
2040,
phasing
out
the
climate
-
warming
pollution
generated
by
coal
and
gas
-
fired
power
plants,
in
addition
to
a
variety
of
other
measures
to
preserve
and
expand
peatlands,
forests,
pollinators,
electric
vehicle
chargers,
home
weatherization,
embedded
emissions
cuts
in
buildings,
green
banking,
and
green
-
collar
worker
apprenticeships.
“As
I
sign
this
legislation,
communities
from
one
end
of
our
state
to
the
other
are
looking
at
months
of
rebuilding
after
an
extreme
weather
event
exacerbated
by
climate
change”,
Walz
said
in
June,
after
catastrophic
flooding
devastated
parts
of
the
state.
“This
is
a
measure
that
will
help
protect
our
environment
and
get
the
clean
energy
projects
that
are
going
to
help
fight
climate
change
in
motion.”
Walz
implemented
California’s
stricter
tailpipe
emissions
standards
for
cars,
and
set
a
goal
of
20%
electric
vehicles
as
a
share
of
all
cars
in
Minnesota
by
2030.
Some
environmentalists
have
criticized
the
state
government
for
its
lax
approach
to
regulatory
capture
in
the
agricultural
and
iron
processing
sectors.
In
2023,
Walz
signed
a
$2.6
billion
infrastructure
spending
package
that
funded
numerous
union
construction
jobs
focused
on
repairing
roads,
bridges,
and
other
essential
infrastructure.
Other
projects
funded
included
a
new
fire
hall
in
Dilworth,
Minnesota,
a
water
treatment
plant
in
Mankato,
and
$78
million
for
the
state
veterans’
home
in
Hastings,
Minnesota.
In
May
2024,
Walz
signed
and
implemented
a
bipartisan
energy
permitting
reform
bill.
Some
environmentalists
criticized
him
for
fast
-
tracking
the
expansion
of
the
Line
3
pipeline
and
overseeing
a
vigorous
response
to
the
indigenous
-
led
Stop
Line
3
protests.
After
schools
were
closed
in
2020
due
to
COVID
-
19,
Walz
adopted
a
cautious
stance
on
reopening
them,
which
aligned
closely
with
the
concerns
of
teachers
who
were
hesitant
to
return
to
in
-
person
learning
due
to
fear
of
contracting
COVID
-
19.
According
to
Nat
Malkus
of
the
American
Enterprise
Institute,
Minnesota
schools
remained
remote
longer
than
the
national
average
during
the
2020
-
21
school
year.
Malkus
ranked
Minnesota
19th
out
of
50
states
for
the
duration
of
remote
learning,
adjusted
for
student
enrollment.
Between
2017
and
2022,
Minnesota
fourth
-
graders’
test
scores
decreased
from
10
points
above
the
national
average
to
4
points
above.
In
2023,
Walz
and
the
DFL
-
controlled
Legislature
approved
increased
spending
on
K
-
12
and
early
education.
At
the
end
of
the
2023
legislative
session,
he
signed
a
bill
allocating
$2.2
billion
in
additional
funding
for
K
-
12
education,
amounting
to
about
$400
more
per
student
annually
than
previous
levels.
The
bill
also
linked
state
education
funding
to
inflation,
addressing
a
long
-
standing
request
from
school
administrators.
Walz
also
provided
free
school
meals
to
all
students
regardless
of
income.
Walz
advocated
for
the
legalization
of
recreational
cannabis
as
governor
of
Minnesota.
As
a
candidate
for
governor
in
2017,
he
said:
“We
have
an
opportunity
in
Minnesota
to
replace
the
current
failed
policy
with
one
that
creates
tax
revenue,
grows
jobs,
builds
opportunities
for
Minnesotans,
protects
Minnesota
kids,
and
trusts
adults
to
make
personal
decisions
based
on
their
personal
freedoms.”
In
2022,
he
proposed
the
creation
of
a
Cannabis
Management
Office
to
develop
and
implement
the
“regulatory
framework
for
adult
-
use
cannabis”
in
Minnesota.
On
May
30,
2023,
he
signed
into
law
House
File
100
to
legalize
recreational
cannabis
in
Minnesota,
which
went
into
effect
on
August
1,
2023.
In
June
2024,
Walz
signed
the
Minnesota
Debt
Fairness
Act.
Among
other
things,
the
act
prevents
health
care
providers
from
denying
medically
necessary
treatment
because
of
outstanding
medical
debt
and
prevents
medical
debt
from
affecting
credit
scores.
In
2019,
Walz
issued
Executive
Order
19
-
24,
which
requires
state
agencies
to
create
and
implement
tribal
consultation
policies
to
guide
their
interaction
with
tribal
nations
in
Minnesota.
In
November
2021,
he
signed
the
“Government
to
Government
Relationship
with
Tribal
Governments”
bill,
which
codified
the
order
into
state
law.
In
2022,
Walz
appointed
attorney
Tadd
Johnson
to
the
University
of
Minnesota
Board
of
Regents,
the
first
Native
American
appointed
to
the
board
since
it
was
established.
In
August
2023,
Walz
signed
education
bill
that
included
education
of
Indigenous
cultural
heritage
for
all
students.
In
September,
he
signed
the
return
of
parts
of
Upper
Sioux
Agency
State
Park
land
to
the
Upper
Sioux
Community.
In
December,
Walz
became
the
first
Minnesota
governor
to
visit
all
11
tribal
nations
in
the
state.
In
2024,
he
appointed
Melanie
Benjamin
of
the
Mille
Lacs
Band
of
Ojibwe
and
Johnny
Johnson
of
the
Prairie
Island
Indian
Community
to
the
nine
-
member
Minnesota
Racing
Commission.
The
93rd
Minnesota
Legislature,
in
session
from
January
to
May
2023,
was
the
first
legislature
to
be
fully
Minnesota
Democratic
-
Farmer
-
Labor
Party
-
controlled
since
the
88th
Minnesota
Legislature
in
2013
-
2015.
It
passed
several
major
reforms
to
Minnesota
law,
including
requiring
paid
leave,
banning
noncompete
agreements,
cannabis
legalization,
and
environmental
issues,
tax
modifications,
codifying
abortion
rights,
universal
free
school
meals,
and
universal
gun
background
checks.
The
Star
Tribune
called
the
session
“one
of
the
most
consequential”
ever
in
Minnesota;
Walz
called
it
the
“most
productive
session
in
Minnesota
history”.
While
Walz
signed
almost
all
legislation
passed
by
the
legislature,
he
vetoed
a
bill
intended
to
increase
pay
for
rideshare
drivers,
his
first
veto
as
governor,
saying
that
it
did
not
strike
the
right
balance.
In
February
2019,
Walz
endorsed
the
the
candidacy
of
Amy
Klobuchar,
Minnesota’s
senior
U.S.
senator,
in
the
2020
Democratic
presidential
primary.
In
August
2020,
he
endorsed
the
candidacy
of
Democratic
nominee
Joe
Biden
and
his
running
mate
Kamala
Harris.
On
July
22,
2024,
Walz
endorsed
Vice
President
Kamala
Harris
after
incumbent
president
Joe
Biden
withdrew
from
the
2024
presidential
race.
After
a
rapid
selection
process
in
which
the
Harris
campaign
also
vetted
Kentucky
Governor
Andy
Beshear,
Secretary
of
Transportation
Pete
Buttigieg,
Arizona
Senator
Mark
Kelly,
Illinois
Governor
J.
B.
Pritzker,
and
Pennsylvania
Governor
Josh
Shapiro
(with
Shapiro,
Kelly
and
Walz
the
only
three
to
be
interviewed
by
Harris
in
person),
Harris
announced
on
August
6
that
she
had
chosen
Walz
as
her
running
mate.
The
Democratic
National
Committee
certified
Walz’s
candidacy
the
same
day
it
was
announced.
His
selection
was
praised
by
an
ideologically
diverse
group
of
politicians,
including
progressive
Democratic
representative
Alexandria
Ocasio
-
Cortez,
centrist
independent
senator
Joe
Manchin,
and
moderate
Republican
former
governor
of
Maryland
Larry
Hogan.
Walz
is
credited
with
first
publicly
describing
Donald
Trump
and
his
running
mate
JD
Vance
as
“weird”.
The
term
became
a
popular
meme,
especially
with
young
people,
and
has
been
widely
used
by
Democrats.No
more
than
a
day
after
Walz
was
named
Harris’s
running
mate,
his
political
opponents
nicknamed
him
“Tampon
Tim”
for
his
2023
signing
of
a
Minnesota
law
that
mandates
that
menstrual
pads
and
tampons
be
provided
free
of
charge
in
public
schools
“to
all
menstruating
students
in
restrooms
regularly
used
by
students
in
grades
4
to
12”.
Walz’s
political
supporters
responded
favorably
to
the
nickname
and
the
law,
and
the
editorial
board
of
the
Minnesota
Star
Tribune
published
a
defense
of
the
initiative.
On
August
21,
2024,
the
third
day
of
the
Democratic
National
Convention,
Walz
officially
accepted
the
Democratic
nomination
for
vice
president.
Walz
has
been
described
as
holding
both
moderate
and
progressive
policy
stances.
Walz
received
a
100%
rating
from
the
National
Education
Association,
American
Public
Health
Association
and
Alliance
for
Retired
Americans
in
2017,
from
the
National
Farmers
Union
in
2016,
from
the
Human
Rights
Campaign
in
2015
-
2016,
from
the
National
Hispanic
Leadership
Agenda
in
2013
-
2014,
the
American
Civil
Liberties
Union
and
Fleet
Reserve
Association
in
2011,
from
the
AFL
-
CIO
in
2010,
from
the
American
Immigration
Lawyers
Association
in
2009
-
2010,
from
Disabled
American
Veterans
and
Military
Officers
Association
of
America
in
2009,
and
from
the
International
Brotherhood
of
Teamsters
and
the
National
Organization
for
Women
in
2007
-
2008.
He
received
single
-
digit
ratings
from
Americans
for
Tax
Reform.
The
United
States
Chamber
of
Commerce
gave
him
a
71%
rating
in
2016.
Walz
supports
a
legal
right
to
abortion,
and
has
a
100%
rating
from
Planned
Parenthood.
The
National
Right
to
Life
Committee,
an
anti
-
abortion
organization,
gave
him
a
rating
of
zero.
In
a
March
2024
interview
with
CNN’s
Kaitlin
Collins,
he
said,
“my
neighboring
states
have
tried
to
criminalize
women
getting
health
care”,
and
characterized
their
policies
as
“a
health
care
crisis”,
adding
that
states
need
to
“trust
women
to
make
their
own
health
care
decisions”
and
to
“understand
that
abortion
is
health
care”.
Also
during
the
interview,
he
said,
“I
think
old
white
men
need
to
learn
how
to
talk
about
this
a
little
more.
And
I
think
the
biggest
thing
is:
listen
to
women.”
Walz
is
a
gun
owner,
and
supports
increased
regulations
on
firearms.
While
in
Congress,
Walz
was
a
strong
supporter
of
gun
rights
and
was
endorsed
by
the
NRA
Political
Victory
Fund
(NRA
-
PVF)
multiple
times,
receiving
an
A
grade
from
the
organization.
Following
the
Parkland
high
school
shooting
in
2018,
he
denounced
the
NRA
in
a
Star
Tribune
opinion
piece,
and
announced
that
he
would
donate
the
equivalent
of
all
of
the
campaign
contributions
the
NRA
-
PVF
had
given
him
-
$18,000
-
to
the
Intrepid
Fallen
Heroes
Fund.
As
governor,
Walz
expressed
support
for
gun
regulation.
In
2023,
he
signed
into
law
a
public
safety
bill
that
establishes
universal
background
checks
and
red
-
flag
laws
in
Minnesota.
Walz
condemned
Hamas’s
October
7
attacks
in
Israel.
He
ordered
flags
to
be
lowered
to
half
staff
in
the
following
days.
After
the
2024
Minnesota
Democratic
presidential
primary,
in
which
19%
of
voters
cast
“uncommitted”
ballots,
Walz
took
a
sympathetic
view
toward
those
doing
so
to
protest
President
Biden’s
handling
of
the
war
in
Gaza,
calling
them
“civically
engaged”.
Of
the
protests
against
U.S.
funding
of
the
war
in
Gaza,
Walz
said:
“This
issue
is
a
humanitarian
crisis.
They
have
every
right
to
be
heard…
These
folks
are
asking
for
a
change
in
course,
they’re
asking
for
more
pressure
to
be
put
on…
You
can
hold
competing
things: ;
that
Israel
has
the
right
to
defend
itself,
and
the
atrocities
of
October
7
are
unacceptable,
but
Palestinian
civilians
being
caught
in
this…
has
got
to
end.”
He
supports
a
ceasefire
in
Gaza.
In
2023,
Walz
signed
a
law
banning
captive
audience
meetings
and
non
-
compete
clauses.
The
law
also
mandates
paid
sick
leave
for
employees
and
increases
safety
inspections
and
ergonomics
requirements
to
reduce
the
risk
of
repetitive
strain
injuries
for
warehouse,
meatpacking,
and
healthcare
facility
workers.
It
also
grants
workers
some
of
the
strongest
protections
against
wage
theft.
In
October
2023,
Walz
joined
the
striking
United
Auto
Workers’
picket
line.
He
is
a
former
member
of
two
teachers’
unions,
the
National
Education
Association
and
the
American
Federation
of
Teachers.
Addressing
the
American
Federation
of
State,
County
and
Municipal
Employees
in
August
2024,
Walz
said,
“It’s
not
just
a
saying,
it’s
a
fact:
when
unions
are
strong,
America
is
strong.”
Walz
supports
LGBTQ
rights,
including
federal
anti
-
discrimination
laws
on
the
basis
of
sexual
orientation.
In
a
2009
speech,
he
called
for
an
end
to
the
“Don’t
ask,
don’t
tell”
policy.
Walz
voted
in
favor
of
the
Matthew
Shepard
and
James
Byrd
Jr.
Hate
Crimes
Prevention
Act
and
the
Sexual
Orientation
Employment
Nondiscrimination
Act.
In
2007,
he
received
a
90%
grade
from
the
Human
Rights
Campaign,
the
nation’s
largest
LGBT
rights
organization.
In
2011,
Walz
announced
his
support
for
the
Respect
for
Marriage
Act.
As
governor,
Walz
has
signed
a
number
of
bills
that
support
the
LGBTQ
community.
In
2023,
he
signed
bills
that
banned
the
practice
of
conversion
therapy
and
protected
gender
-
affirming
care
in
Minnesota.
Having
served
24
years
in
the
Army
National
Guard,
as
a
freshman
in
Congress
Walz
was
given
a
rare
third
committee
membership
when
he
was
assigned
to
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs.
Walz
was
the
lead
House
sponsor
of
the
Clay
Hunt
Suicide
Prevention
for
American
Veterans
Act,
which
directs
the
Veterans
Administration
to
report
on
veteran
mental
health
care
and
suicide
prevention
programs.
It
also
gives
the
VA
permission
to
provide
incentives
to
psychiatrists
who
agree
to
join
the
VA
medical
system.
Walz
and
his
wife,
Gwen
(born
1966),
married
on
June
4,
1994.
Raised
Catholic,
he
left
the
Church
when
he
married
his
wife
and
became
a
member
of
the
Evangelical
Lutheran
Church
in
America.
Walz
has
described
himself
as
a
“Minnesota
Lutheran”
and
referred
to
Pilgrim
Lutheran
Church
in
St.
Paul,
Minnesota,
as
his
family’s
parish.
The
Walzes
underwent
fertility
treatment
at
Mayo
Clinic
for
seven
years
before
their
children
were
born
in
2001
and
2006,
a
daughter
and
a
son.
The
family
lived
in
Mankato,
Minnesota,
for
nearly
20
years
before
moving
to
Saint
Paul
upon
Walz’s
election
as
governor.
On
September
23,
1995,
Walz
was
arrested
on
a
driving
under
the
influence
charge
in
Dawes
County,
Nebraska.
He
pleaded
guilty
to
a
reduced
charge
of
reckless
driving,
and
his
driver’s
license
was
suspended
for
90
days.
He
stopped
drinking
alcohol
after
the
incident.
Walz’s
brother,
Craig,
died
in
2016
after
being
struck
by
a
falling
tree
during
a
storm
while
on
a
camping
trip
in
the
Boundary
Waters
Canoe
Area.
Craig’s
son,
who
was
also
hit
by
the
tree,
survived
but
suffered
severe
injuries.
Walz
and
his
wife
sold
their
home
when
they
moved
into
the
governor’s
residence
in
2019.
According
to
financial
disclosures
made
while
he
was
in
Congress,
which
a
spokesperson
for
his
2024
campaign
confirmed,
they
have
owned
no
stocks
or
securities.
Their
pensions
are
their
only
noteworthy
asset.
As
of
2024,
Walz
has
a
modest
financial
profile.
He
owns
no
businesses
and
lists
no
income
besides
his
salary
as
governor
and
his
wife’s
teaching
salary.
The
Walzes
reported
income
of
$166,000
on
their
2022
tax
returns.
This
places
Walz
among
the
least
wealthy
candidates
ever
to
run
for
vice
president.

(fewest articles) 0
463 (most articles)
Timothy
James
Walz
(/wɔ:lz
/WAWLZ;
born
April
6,
1964)
is
an
American
politician
and
retired
educator.
A
member
of
the
Democratic
-
Farmer
-
Labor
Party
(DFL),
he
has
served
as
the
41st
governor
of
Minnesota
since
2019.
Born
in
West
Point,
Nebraska,
Walz
was
a
member
of
the
Army
National
Guard,
and
worked
in
agriculture,
manufacturing,
and
teaching
after
high
school.
He
later
graduated
from
Chadron
State
College
and
Minnesota
State
University,
Mankato.
He
moved
to
Minnesota
in
1996.
Before
running
for
Congress
in
2006,
he
served
for
24
years
in
the
Army
National
Guard
and
as
a
social
studies
teacher
in
the
Mankato
school
district.
Walz
was
the
U.S.
representative
for
Minnesota’s
1st
congressional
district
from
2007
to
2019.
He
was
first
elected
in
2006,
defeating
six
-
term
Republican
incumbent
Gil
Gutknecht.
He
was
reelected
five
times.
Walz
represented
a
large,
mostly
rural
section
of
southern
Minnesota
situated
along
the
border
with
Iowa.
On
November
6,
2018,
Walz
was
elected
governor,
defeating
the
Republican
nominee,
Hennepin
County
Commissioner
Jeff
Johnson.
Walz
was
reelected
in
the
2022
Minnesota
gubernatorial
election,
defeating
Republican
nominee
Scott
Jensen.
Walz
was
born
in
West
Point,
Nebraska,
the
son
of
Darlene
R.
and
James
F.
“Jim”
Walz.
The
son
of
a
public
school
administrator
and
community
activist,
Walz
was
raised
in
Chadron,
Nebraska,
a
rural
community
in
the
northwestern
portion
of
the
state.
Walz
graduated
from
Butte
High
School
in
a
class
of
25
students.
In
1989,
he
earned
a
bachelor
of
science
degree
in
social
science
education
from
Chadron
State
College.
His
first
teaching
experience
was
at
the
Pine
Ridge
Indian
Reservation
in
South
Dakota.
He
then
accepted
a
teaching
position
with
WorldTeach
in
the
People’s
Republic
of
China.
In
2001,
he
earned
a
Master
of
Science
in
educational
leadership
from
Minnesota
State
University,
Mankato.
Walz
enlisted
in
the
Army
National
Guard
in
1981
and
served
for
24
years.
Over
his
military
career,
he
had
postings
in
Arkansas,
Texas,
the
Arctic
Circle,
New
Ulm,
Minnesota,
and
elsewhere.
He
worked
in
heavy
artillery.
During
his
career,
he
worked
in
disaster
response
postings
following
floods
and
tornados
and
was
deployed
overseas
on
active
duty
for
months,
although
he
never
saw
combat.
In
1989,
he
earned
the
title
of
Nebraska
Citizen
-
Soldier
of
the
Year.
Walz
attained
the
rank
of
command
sergeant
major
near
the
end
of
his
career,
but
retired
as
a
master
sergeant
in
2005
for
benefit
purposes
because
he
did
not
complete
coursework
at
the
U.S.
Army
Sergeants
Major
Academy.
He
resumed
teaching
as
a
geography
teacher
and
football
coach
at
Mankato
West
High
School.
Walz
and
his
wife,
Gwen,
ran
Educational
Travel
Adventures,
accompanying
high
school
juniors
and
seniors
on
summer
educational
trips
to
China.
Walz
decided
to
run
for
Congress
in
2006.
He
had
no
opponent
for
the
DFL
nomination
in
the
September
12,
2006
primary
election.
He
beat
incumbent
Republican
Gil
Gutknecht
in
the
general
election
on
November
7,
and
took
office
on
January
3,
2007.
After
the
election,
Gutknecht
was
described
as
having
been
caught
“off
guard”
and
Walz
as
having
“resolved
never
to
get
caught
like
that
himself….
He
packaged
himself
as
a
moderate
from
Day
One,
built
an
office
centered
on
constituent
service
and
carved
out
a
niche
as
a
tireless
advocate
for
veterans.”
Walz
was
reelected
in
2008
with
62%
of
the
vote,
becoming
only
the
second
non
-
Republican
to
win
a
second
full
term
in
the
district.
He
won
a
third
term
in
2010,
defeating
State
Representative
Randy
Demmer
with
50%
of
the
vote.
He
was
reelected
in
2012,
2014,
and
2016.
Upon
his
swearing
in,
Walz
became
the
highest
-
ranking
retired
enlisted
soldier
ever
to
serve
in
Congress,
as
well
as
only
the
fourth
Democrat
/DFLer
to
represent
his
district.
The
others
were
Thomas
Wilson
(1887
-
1889),
William
Harries
(1891
-
1893),
and
Tim
Penny
(1983
-
1995).
Walz
served
on
the
House
Agriculture
Committee,Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs,
and
the
Armed
Services
Committee.
Along
with
fellow
Minnesota
Democrat
Keith
Ellison,
Walz
opposed
President
Bush’s
plan
to
increase
troop
levels
in
Iraq.
In
his
first
week
as
a
legislator,
Walz
cosponsored
a
bill
to
raise
the
minimum
wage,
voted
for
stem
cell
research,
voted
to
allow
Medicare
to
negotiate
pharmaceutical
prices,
and
voiced
support
for
pay
-
as
-
you
-
go
budget
rules,
requiring
that
new
spending
or
tax
changes
not
add
to
the
federal
deficit.
Even
as
he
represented
a
district
that
had
usually
voted
Republican,
pundits
described
Walz’s
stated
policy
positions
as
ranging
from
moderate
to
liberal.
He
voted
against
the
act
to
Prohibit
Federally
Funded
Abortion
Services,
and
to
advance
the
Affordable
Care
Act
out
of
the
House.
He
also
voted
to
continue
funding
for
military
operations
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan,
and
against
the
2008
TARP
bill,
which
purchased
troubled
assets
from
financial
institutions.
Walz
received
a
100%
rating
from
Planned
Parenthood
in
2012,
from
the
ACLU
in
2011,
from
the
American
Immigration
Lawyers
Association
in
2009
-
2010,
from
the
AFL
-
CIO
in
2010,
from
the
Teamsters
in
2009
-
2010,
and
from
NOW
in
2007.
He
also
received
single
-
digit
ratings
from
the
National
Taxpayers’
Union,
Citizens
against
Government
Waste,
Americans
for
Tax
Reform,
and
Freedom
Works.
The
United
States
Chamber
of
Commerce
gave
him
a
25%
rating
in
2010.
Walz
was
ranked
the
7th
most
bipartisan
member
of
the
House
during
the
114th
Congress
(and
the
most
bipartisan
member
from
Minnesota)
in
the
Bipartisan
Index
created
by
The
Lugar
Center
and
the
McCourt
School
of
Public
Policy
that
ranks
members
of
Congress
by
measuring
how
often
their
bills
attract
co
-
sponsors
from
the
opposite
party
and
how
often
they
co
-
sponsor
bills
by
members
of
the
opposite
party.
Walz
announced
he
would
run
for
governor
after
Mark
Dayton,
the
incumbent
Democratic
governor,
chose
not
to
seek
a
third
term.
On
November
6,
2018,
Walz
was
elected
governor,
defeating
the
Republican
nominee,
Hennepin
County
Commissioner
Jeff
Johnson.
During
the
campaign,
two
senior
NCOs
of
the
Minnesota
National
Guard
falsely
accused
Walz
of
fabricating
facts
about
his
service
and
lying
about
his
military
rank.
The
allegation
about
his
military
rank
was
debunked.
Walz
sought
reelection
in
2022.
He
won
the
August
9
Democratic
primary
and
faced
Republican
nominee
Scott
Jensen
in
the
November
general
election.
On
November
8,
2022,
Walz
defeated
Jensen,
52.3%
to
44.6%.
Though
Jensen
fared
better
than
Walz’s
opponent
had
in
2018
and
made
gains
against
Walz
in
Greater
Minnesota,
he
did
not
overcome
Walz’s
lead
in
the
Minneapolis
-
Saint
Paul
metropolitan
area.
Walz
was
sworn
in
as
governor
of
Minnesota
on
January
7,
2019,
at
the
Fitzgerald
Theater
in
Saint
Paul.
Walz
took
the
oath
of
office
alongside
incoming
Lieutenant
Governor
Peggy
Flanagan,
Minnesota
Secretary
of
State
Steve
Simon,
Minnesota
State
Auditor
Julie
Blaha,
and
Minnesota
Attorney
General
Keith
Ellison,
all
Democrats.
Walz
spoke
about
education
and
healthcare
reform
in
his
inauguration
speech.
On
May
26,
2020,
the
day
after
the
murder
of
George
Floyd,
Walz
and
lieutenant
governor
Peggy
Flanagan
demanded
justice
and
called
the
video
of
Minneapolis
police
officer
Derek
Chauvin
kneeling
on
George
Floyd’s
neck
“disturbing”.
Walz
elaborated,
“The
lack
of
humanity
in
this
disturbing
video
is
sickening.
We
will
get
answers
and
seek
justice”.
Walz’s
initial
response
to
the
widespread
protests
following
Floyd’s
murder
was
criticized
by
political
opponents
and
other
groups.
He
later
responded
to
the
murder
by
ordering
the
Minnesota
legislature
to
reconvene
for
special
sessions
on
legislation
for
police
reform
and
accountability.
After
police
reform
failed
to
pass
the
first
special
session
in
June,
a
second
special
session
was
held
in
July.
On
July
21,
the
legislature
passed
major
police
reform
legislation.
The
new
compromise
law
includes
a
limited
ban
on
police
from
using
chokeholds
so
long
as
the
officers
are
not
at
greater
risk.
It
bans
the
old
warrior
training
program,
which
was
regarded
as
dehumanizing
people
and
encouraging
aggressive
conduct.
It
requires
training
peace
officers
to
deal
with
people
with
autism
or
in
a
mental
health
crisis
and
deescalation
training
for
situations
that
could
turn
volatile.
It
also
creates
a
special
independent
unit
at
the
Bureau
of
Criminal
Apprehension
for
investigations
of
fatal
police
encounters
and
a
community
relations
advisory
council
to
consult
with
the
Police
Officers
Standards
and
Training
Board
on
policy
changes.
Walz
signed
the
legislation
into
law
on
July
23.
Walz
has
advocated
for
the
legalization
of
recreational
cannabis
as
governor
of
Minnesota.
As
a
candidate
for
governor
in
2017,
he
said:
“We
have
an
opportunity
in
Minnesota
to
replace
the
current
failed
policy
with
one
that
creates
tax
revenue,
grows
jobs,
builds
opportunities
for
Minnesotans,
protects
Minnesota
kids,
and
trusts
adults
to
make
personal
decisions
based
on
their
personal
freedoms.”
In
2022,
he
proposed
the
creation
of
a
Cannabis
Management
Office
to
develop
and
implement
the
“regulatory
framework
for
adult
-
use
cannabis”
in
Minnesota.
During
the
economic
crisis
in
2008,
Walz
repeatedly
spoke
out
against
using
taxpayer
money
to
bail
out
financial
institutions;
in
late
September
he
voted
against
the
$700
billion
TARP
bill,
which
purchased
troubled
assets
from
these
institutions.
Walz
released
a
statement
after
the
bill’s
passage,
saying,
“The
bill
we
voted
on
today
passes
the
buck
when
it
comes
to
recouping
the
losses
taxpayers
might
suffer.
I
also
regret
that
this
bill
does
not
do
enough
to
help
average
homeowners,
or
provide
sufficient
oversight
of
Wall
Street.”
For
the
same
reasons,
in
December
2008
he
voted
against
the
bill
that
offered
$14
billion
in
government
loans
to
bail
out
the
country’s
large
automobile
manufacturers.
In
June
2009
Walz
introduced
a
bipartisan
resolution
calling
on
the
federal
government
to
“relinquish
its
temporary
ownership
interests
in
the
General
Motors
Corporation
and
Chrysler
Group,
LLC,
as
soon
as
possible”
and
stated
that
the
government
must
not
be
involved
in
those
companies’
management
decisions.
Despite
his
votes
against
bailout
bills
that
loaned
taxpayer
money
to
large
banks
and
auto
manufacturers,
Walz
did
vote
with
his
Democratic
colleagues
to
support
the
2009
American
Recovery
&
Reinvestment
Act.
As
a
member
of
the
House
Transportation
Committee,
Walz
saw
the
stimulus
bill
as
an
opportunity
to
work
“with
his
congressional
colleagues
to
make
job
creation
through
investment
in
public
infrastructure
like
roads,
bridges
and
clean
energy
the
cornerstone
of
the
economic
recovery
plan”.
Walz
has
focused
heavily
on
job
and
economic
issues
important
to
his
southern
Minnesota
district,
which
has
a
mix
of
larger
employers
like
the
Mayo
Clinic
along
with
small
businesses
and
agricultural
interests.
In
July
2009
he
voted
for
the
Enhancing
Small
Business
Research
and
Innovation
Act,
which
he
described
as
“part
of
our
long
-
term
economic
blueprint
to
spur
job
creation
by
encouraging
America’s
entrepreneurs
to
innovate
toward
breakthrough
technological
advancements”.
Walz
also
urged
assistance
for
hog
and
dairy
farmers
who
struggled
with
lower
prices
for
their
commodities
in
2008
and
2009.
Walz
was
a
public
school
teacher
for
20
years.
He
opposes
using
merit
pay
for
teachers.
Voting
in
favor
of
the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Act,
Walz
pointed
to
its
strong
provisions
in
support
of
public
school
buildings.
Walz
is
on
record
supporting
legislation
to
lower
tuition
costs.
In
a
February
12,
2009
speech,
he
said
that
the
most
important
thing
to
do
“to
ensure
a
solid
base
for
economic
future…
is
to
provide
the
best
education
possible
for
children.”
He
has
received
strong
backing
for
these
policies
from
many
interest
groups,
including
the
National
Education
Association,
the
American
Association
of
University
Women
and
the
National
Association
of
Elementary
School
Principals.
Walz
is
a
strong
supporter
of
gun
rights
and
has
been
endorsed
by
the
NRA
multiple
times.
Walz
supports
LGBT
rights,
including
federal
anti
-
discrimination
laws
on
the
basis
of
sexual
orientation.
In
a
2009
speech
he
called
for
an
end
to
the
Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell
policy.
Walz
voted
in
favor
of
the
Matthew
Shepard
Hate
Crimes
Act
and
the
Sexual
Orientation
Employment
Nondiscrimination
Act.
In
2007,
he
received
a
90%
grade
from
the
Human
Rights
Campaign,
the
nation’s
largest
LGBT
organization.
In
2011,
Walz
announced
his
support
for
the
Respect
for
Marriage
Act.
Having
served
24
years
in
the
Army
National
Guard,
as
a
freshman
in
Congress
he
was
given
a
rare
third
committee
membership
when
he
was
assigned
to
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs.
Walz
has
championed
enhanced
veterans
benefits
since
taking
office
in
2007.
In
May
of
that
year
the
House
unanimously
passed
his
“Traumatic
Brain
Injuries
Center
Act”
to
set
up
five
centers
around
the
nation
to
study
traumatic
brain
injuries
and
develop
improved
models
for
caring
for
veterans
suffering
from
such
injuries.
Walz
also
supported
the
GI
Bill
of
2008,
which
expanded
education
benefits
for
veterans
and
in
some
cases
allowed
them
to
transfer
education
benefits
to
family
members.
In
2009,
Walz
gave
the
keynote
address
at
the
American
Legion
National
Convention
in
Louisville.
He
spoke
about
the
need
for
the
VA
and
Department
of
Defense
to
work
together
to
make
sure
that
returning
service
men
and
women
“do
not
fall
through
the
cracks
when
they
transition
to
civilian
life”.
Walz
was
the
lead
House
sponsor
of
the
Clay
Hunt
Suicide
Prevention
for
American
Veterans
Act,
which
directs
the
Veterans
Administration
to
report
on
veteran
mental
health
care
and
suicide
prevention
programs.
It
also
gives
the
VA
permission
to
provide
incentives
to
psychiatrists
who
agree
to
join
the
VA
medical
system.
Walz
supports
abortion
rights
and
has
a
100%
rating
from
Planned
Parenthood.
The
National
Right
to
Life
Committee
gave
him
a
rating
of
zero.
In
early
2009,
Walz
voted
for
the
Lilly
Ledbetter
Fair
Pay
Act.
Walz
and
his
wife
Gwen
married
in
1994.
They
lived
in
Mankato,
Minnesota,
for
nearly
20
years
before
moving
to
Saint
Paul
with
their
two
children
upon
his
election
as
governor.
Walz’s
brother
Craig
was
killed
by
a
falling
tree
during
a
storm
in
2016.
He
was
survived
by
his
wife
Julie,
and
their
son
Jacob,
who
suffered
severe
injuries
but
survived.
Walz
is
Lutheran.