Can Tim Walz secure Midwestern swing states? That’s what Democrats are hoping

Since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, the presidential campaign has been in overdrive — including the Veepstakes.
A process that usually takes months was shrunk down to just two weeks as Kamala Harris assessed possible running mates, eventually naming Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Kamala Harris wrote in a statement. “We are going to build a great partnership.”
As
, Walz worked with a divided government in his first term, and then after his re-election in 2022 — and with Democrats in control of the state legislature — he helped his party usher in another round of progressive policies, including:
When asked on CNN’s
whether these policies would make him too progressive a candidate, Walz responded with sarcasm.
“What a monster. Kids are eating, eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own health care decisions,” he said. “So if that’s what they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the label.”
Walz may be on the national stage now, but his life began in a small town in rural Nebraska.
“My town had 400 people in it, 24 kids in my graduating class, 12 were cousins,” he told MSBNC’s
recently.
As
Ferguson reported, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17, then enrolled in college under the G.I. Bill before ultimately becoming a public school teacher and marrying fellow educator Gwen Whipple.
Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, who leads the state’s largest teachers’ union, said Walz has never forgotten his teaching roots.
“He’s been a great governor to work with, you know, his record for investing in public education. Everything that he’s done to improve working lives for working families, protecting collective bargaining,” Specht said. “He has a great track record that I think would resonate across this country.”
In recent interviews, Walz described former President Donald Trump’s policy priorities as “weird,” which the Harris campaign has since taken and run with.
Walz faced setbacks during his time as governor. Initially, he had a good working relationship with former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican.
That relationship soured, however, as COVID-19 spread and Walz instituted a mask mandate as well as business and school shutdowns, frustrating critics.
He has also faced harsh criticism for his handling of the protests and riots that followed the murder of George Floyd after Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. Walz called in thousands of National Guard soldiers and state troopers, but not quickly enough to prevent the burning of a police precinct and looting of several businesses.
As
Ferguson reported that Walz and Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey publicly disagreed over who should have taken charge.
“I felt like he froze,” Gazelka said. “And that delayed getting the National Guard out three days beyond what Mayor Frey had requested. And that’s just unacceptable to not be able to handle the crisis in a way that I think it should have been handled.”