Who Is Tim Walz? Why Harris Picked Minnesota Governor as VP Running Mate | WSJ

Harris’s running mate - [Announcer] Kamala Harris named Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz is a former school teacher and seasoned Washington lawmaker who has been credited with a new political insult against Republicans. - Yes, they're weird. They prove that every day, it's an observation. - Walz is viewed as more of a moderate figure, but someone who has picked up a number of progressive causes as governor. He's not somebody who has an extensive fundraising base or is someone who's very well known among the public. - [Announcer] Walz's ascension comes as Harris has consolidated support among Democrats after President Biden exited the race. Here's a look at what Walz brings as running mate in an election showdown with Donald Trump and JD Vance. Who is Tim Walz? - Tim Walz is a proven winner among rural voters, and he's been very successful in Minnesota, which is a state that Republicans are trying to put onto the battleground map. - Thank you, Minnesota. (crowd cheering) - Walz really gives this every-man persona. He's somebody who is very comfortable with farmers. He's also someone who can appeal to voters in the suburbs and the cities. - Hey, Minnesota, Governor Walz here at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. - [Announcer] The 60-year-old governor didn't begin his career in politics. - He's someone who worked as a school teacher for more than two decades. He also spent time in the military, so he really brings to the table a background of someone who had an entirely different life before he entered politics. - [Announcer] Walz was first elected to Congress in 2006, managing to unseat a six-term Republican in one of the state's more conservative districts. - He was supportive of a number of issues related to agriculture. He also served as a leader on veterans affairs issues, given his extensive background in the Army Reserves. Walz was once given an A rating from the National Rifle Association. After the Parkland shooting in 2018, he quickly pivoted to support background checks, and the NRA disavowed many of his proposals. - [Announcer] After 12 years in Congress, Walz ran for Minnesota governor in 2018 as someone who could compromise with Republicans. He won by more than 11 percentage points. - Hello, One Minnesota. (crowd cheers) - [Announcer] Walz was reelected in 2022, and a year later oversaw a Democratic-controlled state legislature with a progressive agenda. - He helped get through a program to provide universal school meals for children. He was supportive of codifying abortion rights. He was supportive of the legalization of recreational marijuana. He was viewed as somebody who was very progressive on climate change, the environment, and also in promoting infrastructure spending. (pensive music) - Walz was criticized for his handling of the civic unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020. - I'm authorizing and talking to General Jensen to fully mobilize the Minnesota National Guard, an action that has never been taken in the 164-year history of the Minnesota National Guard. - [Announcer] Walz deployed the National Guard three days after Floyd's murder. - [Crowd] George Floyd! (indistinct) George Floyd! - [Announcer] In July, the governor signed a police reform bill banning the use of choke holds in most cases, and requiring other officers to intervene when another is using excessive force. - In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, he faced some criticism that he did not act quickly enough to quell some of the violence that we saw on the streets of the city. There was criticism that he didn't quickly bring in the National Guard to restore order. (fireworks bursting) What does he bring to the ticket? - [Announcer] In recent weeks, Walz has repeatedly used one word to describe Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. - Yeah, they're weird, and I am not changing that. I see Donald Trump talking about the wonderful Hannibal Lecter, or whatever weird thing he's on tonight. That is weird behavior. - [Announcer] And it seems to have caught on. - By the way, don't you find some of their stuff to just be plain weird? (crowd cheers) - In the lead up to his selection as Harris's running mate, he really showed a pension for being the attack dog. Namely, his appearances on some of the Sunday shows, some of the cable TV hits that he did attacking JD Vance. - People like JD Vance know nothing about small-town America. - [Announcer] Although no Republican presidential candidate has won over Minnesota voters since Richard Nixon, the Trump campaign wants to compete there. - Minnesota is a state that Democrats really can't lose. Trump got very close in 2016 and has since then always tried to put the state into play. He and Vance have made appearances recently in the state, and they view it as a place where they could perhaps cut into the Democratic battleground map. (pensive music) - The Harris-Walz ticket What’s next? and its platform will take center stage in Chicago during the week of August 19th, when the Democratic National Convention convenes to cement their nominations - Walz helps neutralize JD Vance's appeal to rural voters, especially those voters in the Midwest, some of the states that will help determine the election. We expect Walz to give an address at the Democratic National Convention. That'll really be his first opportunity to give the American people a window into his life, his career, his background, and that will be an important showcase for him before Democrats. (pensive music) - With that, we thank you. (indistinct)