US Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate for the November presidential election. Earlier media information was officially confirmed by Harris in contribution on Instagram, where she highlighted Walz’s efforts to protect women’s reproductive rights and his relationship with his family. Who is US Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz?
The progressive governor of Minnesota, a war veteran from Afghanistan and the favorite politician of rural America. A politician, educator, and former soldier, Walz has been the governor of Minnesota since January 2019. Prior to that, he was a member of the House of Representatives for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district for 12 years. He also served in the military and for over 20 years as a public school teacher. “It is the greatest honor of my life,” stated Walz.
Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate
Echo24, 6 August 2024
KAMALA HARRIS VICE PRESIDENT
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is his deep belief in fighting for middle-class families. It’s personal,” Harris said. She presented Walz as a person growing up in difficult circumstances and mentioned his position as a high school teacher or his work in the National Guard. “We’re going to make a great team. We’re going to win this election,” Harris said. Just a few minutes after her announcement on pages the Harris campaign discovered photos of the two politicians.
According to Reuters, he is popular among white rural voters who in previous years voted for Donald Trump – the current ex-president and Harris’ Republican opponent in the fall presidential election. As chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Walz is involved in the current election campaign, in which current President Joe Biden was the original Democratic candidate. After Biden was criticized for his poor performance in a televised debate with Trump, Walz told reporters that Biden’s performance was poor, but added that he thought Biden was qualified for the office. “Obviously, like many Americans, we’re a little worried. We’re worried because the threat of a Trump presidency is not just theoretical,” Walz said, adding that Trump’s previous tenures in office had been accompanied by “chaos and destruction.”
According to the American press, Harris apparently chose Walz in an attempt to appeal to a wider circle of white voters from the countryside, who in previous years voted for Republican Donald Trump, with whom the vice president is likely to face in the presidential election on November 5. The AP agency noted that Harris wants to strengthen her position, especially in the critical region of the north of the American Midwest. Democrats are still reeling from Trump’s 2016 wins in Michigan and Wisconsin, even though he lost them in the previous 2020 vote.
Walz has been a strong supporter of Harris on the campaign trail against Trump and his running mate JD Vance. In July, he called both Republicans “freaks” in an interview, and his assessment was echoed by many representatives of the Democratic Party, including Harris. This week, Walz said it was “not an insult (…), just an observation”.
Republicans, on the other hand, have repeatedly called Walz a left-wing radical or a “dangerous liberal”, AP and NYT write. Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi opposed it. “To characterize him as a leftist is completely unreal,” said the influential Democrat.
Teacher, soldier and governor of Minnesota
Walz was born on April 6, 1964 in West Point, Nebraska to a public school administrator and community activist. After high school, Walz worked in agriculture and also began serving in the National Guard. He later studied social sciences at Chadron State College and then began teaching, including on an Indian reservation and in China.
In 1994, he married teacher Gwen Whipple and they moved to Minnesota, his wife’s home state. He worked as a teacher and football coach in Mankato. Among other things, he and his wife organized summer educational trips for high school students to China. He also received additional teaching training at Minnesota State University in Mankato. He was a member of the National Guard for a total of 24 years. He served, among others, in Arkansas, Minnesota and beyond the Arctic Circle. He was also deployed overseas, but did not participate in combat. He also worked in Europe, where his task was to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
As governor, he pushed for a progressive agenda that includes free school meals, the fight against climate change, tax cuts for the middle class and expanded paid leave. Walz has also been a long-term advocate for women’s reproductive rights. During his tenure in the US House of Representatives, where he represented a rural district, he defended the interests of farmers and supported gun rights, Reuters recalled.
He came to the attention of the media, for example, in connection with the protests after the death of George Floyd, a black man, in May 2020. Floyd died during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the video recording of his death sparked a wave of protests against police violence in the US. Among other things, Walz has advocated for the passage of legislation regarding police reform and accountability in Minnesota. He also fully mobilized the National Guard in connection with the violent demonstrations.
Walz is also known as a supporter of women’s right to abortion and the rights of the LGBT community. He is a great advocate for the interests of military veterans. Last year after October 7, he condemned the attacks of the terrorist movement Hamas in Israel. He criticizes the impact of Israeli military activities on civilians and supports a cease-fire in Gaza.
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In the House, Walz served on the Agriculture Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Armed Services Committee. Commentators often rated him as a centrist, and his positions as moderate to liberal. In Congress, he was one of those politicians who voted for bills introduced by both Democrats and Republicans. Among other things, he opposed President George W. Bush’s plan to increase the number of US troops in Iraq, but voted to continue funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. During his time in the House, where he represented a rural district, he championed the interests of farmers and supported gun rights, according to Reuters.
