Tim Walz

Politician Tim Walz is the 41st governor of Minnesota and was the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee alongside candidate Kamala Harris . Prior to his political career, he was a high school social studies teacher and 24-year member of the Army National Guard. Walz then served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He has passed a series of popular legislation as Minnesota governor but received criticism for his response to protests following the death of George Floyd. In July 2024, Harris selected Walz as her running mate for November’s presidential election, which they lost to Donald Trump and JD Vance . Timothy James Walz was born on April 6, 1964, in West Point, Nebraska. Tim is one of four children born to homemaker Darlene Reiman and James F. Walz, a teacher and school superintendent. He grew up with a sister, Sandy, and two brothers, Jeff and Craig. Tim largely spent his childhood in rural Valentine, Nebraska, where he enjoyed hunting and participating in sports, including football and basketball. In 1982, the Walzes moved to an even smaller town, Butte, following his father’s lung cancer diagnosis, and Tim attended Butte High School with just over two dozen students in his class. James died in 1984, the year after Tim graduated, leaving his family in tightened straits due to medical debt. Tim later credited income from Social Security survivor benefits with saving the family from financial ruin. In 2016, the Walzes suffered another tragedy when Tim’s younger brother, Craig, was fatally injured by a falling tree during a storm. Inspired by his father’s service in the Korean War, Walz joined the U.S. Army National Guard when he was 17. Like his father, he used the G.I. Bill to pay for his education. Walz obtained a bachelor’s degree in social science education from Chadron State College in 1989. He later went back to school and, in 2001, earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Walz remained in the Guard for 24 years, continuing his service throughout his teaching career. In that time, he had temporary postings in the United States and Italy. Walz was eligible for retirement after 20 years but opted to reenlist following the 9/11 attacks . He achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest rank for enlisted soldiers, but officially retired, in May 2005, at a lower rank due to his failure to complete coursework related to his promotion. As a young adult, Walz spent time in Texas and Arkansas, where he worked a series of factory and agricultural jobs before returning to Nebraska in 1987. After his college graduation two years later, Walz spent a year in China, teaching English to high school students as part of a program sponsored by Harvard University. This sparked a lifelong interest in China, a country Walz has since visited several times, including a 1994 school trip he and his wife, who is also a teacher, led shortly after their wedding that served as their honeymoon. The Walzes organized annual education trips to China for his students, and Tim later credited his long experience with the country as key to his understanding of Chinese-American relations. In 1991, Walz began teaching high school social studies in Alliance, Nebraska. Four years later, he was arrested after being caught speeding. The then-31-year-old Walz failed a sobriety test and eventually pled guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. Walz credited the arrest with serving as a wake-up call, and he quit drinking soon after. Questions about the incident resurfaced after Kamala Harris selected Walz as her VP choice, including allegations that his staffers purposely misled reporters investigating the arrest during Walz’s first Congressional run in 2006. Walz moved to Mankato, Minnesota, in 1996, shortly after his marriage, and he and his wife both taught at Mankato West High School. In addition to his geography teaching duties, Walz was an assistant coach of