Vice President Kamala Harris has selected her VP pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The pair made their debut at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, August 6. 

Harris shared her pride on X, stating, “As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team.”

Walz also shared his thoughts via X.

“I’m all in. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks!”

So, who is Tim Walz?

Walz was elected as governor of Minnesota in 2018. He served for four years and won a second term. 

He’s a retired school teacher and a U.S. military veteran. Joining the Army National Guard at 17, he served for 24 years, according to reports.

Before stepping into his governing role, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years. 

As governor, he successfully implemented various programs. He initiated a program that covers college tuition for low-income students and enacted free breakfast and lunch in public schools. In January 2023 he signed the PRO Act (Protect Reproductive Options Act) into law. This made abortion and access to reproductive healthcare a “fundamental right.”

Regarding governance over guns, Walz signed a public safety package that included a “red flag” law allowing individuals to petition the courts to remove guns from those considered a danger to others or themselves, according to reports. Also within the framework of that law was another one that makes private gun transfers contingent on background checks. 

“This is not about the second amendment,” Walz said in a report regarding this. “This is about the safety and security of our communities. That’s what’s happening here today.”

Regarding paid medical and sick leave, in May 2023 Walz signed a law that created a state-run program to provide both paid family and medical leave for Minnesota workers. By 2026, this would be funded by a 0.7 percent payroll tax on employers, reports state. 

The PRO Act he signed made Minnesota the first state in the country to systemize rights to an abortion following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling of the case that annulled Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, according to reports. 

Walz also signed a bill that would restore the right to vote for more than 50,000 convicted felons, those of whom who have served their time.

“We are in a country of second chances, we’re a country of welcoming people back in,” Walz said, according to reports. “And the idea of not allowing those voices to have a say in the very governing of the communities they live in is simply unacceptable.”

Along with what he has advocated for above, reports state that he has also supported climate initiatives. This includes a law that would shift Minnesota to carbon-free electricity by 2040.

“I think we’d see Tim Walz really going after the Trump-Vance ticket, and it’d probably be a harsher tone than what we’ve seen here in Minnesota in his everyday conduct,”  Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, said in a CBS report. “And he’d really be counted on to win the key states in the Upper Midwest.”

The U.S. approach to Gaza has become a significant part of this election cycle, drawing criticism from Americans regarding the government’s stance and approach. Individuals continue to express their dissent.

According to Al Jazeera, during his time in Congress, Walz expressed pro-Israel stances.

“Israel is our truest and closest ally in the region, with a commitment to values of personal freedoms and liberties, surrounded by a pretty tough neighborhood,” Walz said in 2010, according to Al Jazeera.

However, earlier this year, with roughly 19 percent of Democratic voters in Minnesota having voted “uncommitted” to object to President Biden’s support for Israel — along with many other Democratic voters across the country — Walz said that those who selected “uncommitted” have “every right” to be heard, according to Al Jazeera.

“These folks are asking for a change in course,” Walz told MPR News at that time, as stated in an Al Jazeera report. “They’re asking for more pressure to be put on.”