Pigsfly News Insight: The Unlikely Rise of Tim Walz
Tim Walz never attended an Ivy League school. He never wrote a political memoir. His resume includes working at a tanning bed factory in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Until he was 40, he wasn’t interested in politics. Now, at 60, Walz is the governor of Minnesota and was recently chosen by Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate.
In picking Walz, Harris has chosen a symbol of the “everyman” Democrat, countering the idea that the party is dominated by the coastal elite. His background and demeanor are a stark contrast to Harris, a Californian, and to former President Donald J. Trump, a New York billionaire, as well as Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, a Yale Law School graduate.
Walz’s life is a tapestry of farming, turkey hunting, National Guard weekends, public schools, and coaching high school football. This down-to-earth image has been a political asset, drawing Harris to him despite his previously low profile among Democrats. Known for his broad smile and unpolished style, Walz has managed to brand Trump and his party as “creepy” and “weird as hell.”
While generally affable, Walz has shown shrewd political instincts, evolving his positions as needed. After Democrats took control of both houses of the Minnesota Legislature in 2022, Walz pushed through a wave of liberal legislation. This shift didn’t sit well with everyone, particularly in rural areas.
Despite political disagreements, many Republicans describe him as self-effacing and familiar. His neighbors and friends reacted to his VP candidacy with pleasant surprise. Sherri Blasing, a former neighbor, said, “It’s not every day that your neighbor becomes a vice-presidential candidate.”
Born in West Point, Nebraska, and raised in Butte, Walz’s early life was spent working on a family farm. He jokes that dating in high school was tough with a graduating class of 25, half of whom were cousins. Raised Catholic, he became Lutheran after marriage but rarely discusses his faith.
He hunted as a teenager and enlisted in the National Guard at 17. After his father died when he was 19, Walz graduated from Chadron State College and taught in China for a year. Back in Nebraska, he met his wife, Gwen, also a teacher, and began coaching. In 1995, he had a brush with the law for reckless driving but turned his life around.
In Mankato, Minnesota, Walz taught and coached, creating a supportive environment for students, including starting a gay-straight alliance at the high school. His political career began with a protest against President George W. Bush’s policies in 2004, leading to his first congressional campaign in 2006.
Walz’s grassroots campaign, bolstered by former students, led to an improbable victory in a conservative district. On Capitol Hill, he focused on agriculture and veterans’ issues, supporting Obamacare and education benefits for veterans.
Despite warnings of his political future, Walz ran for governor in 2018, presenting himself as a unifying leader. His tenure included handling the fallout from George Floyd’s murder, facing criticism for his response but defending his decisions.
Re-elected in 2022, Walz continued to push liberal policies, despite losing support in his old district. His focus on authentic, small-town values has resonated with many, making him an intriguing and unconventional choice as Harris’s running mate.
