'Broaden the ticket’s appeal': How Tim Walz 'checked every box' for Democrats

06 August 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris has officially selected Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz as her 2024 running mate. One commentator recently laid out his case for why Walz is the best possible choice for VP given his resume.

In a Tuesday analysis for MSNBC, columnist Steve Benen said Walz — who is also the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association — "checked every box" for Democrats out of all the top choices on Harris' shortlist. Citing a report by MSNBC's Clarissa-Jan Lim, he opined that "those who don’t yet know the governor are going to be impressed by his story."

"Harris’ choice of Walz as her running mate could broaden the ticket’s appeal: Harris as a Black, Asian woman from California with experience as a prosecutor, and Walz as a white, folksy Midwesterner with a record of enacting progressive policies," Lim reported. "Since 2022, when Democrats won control of the state Legislature, Walz has passed billions in funding for schools, including free school lunches; shored up abortion rights; secured stricter gun violence prevention laws; expanded legal protections for transgender youth; and restored voting rights for formerly incarcerated people."

But Walz has more to offer than just his record as a two-term governor of the Gopher State. He has a lengthy record in the military, serving in the National Guard for more than two decades after enlisting at the age of 17. He attained the rank of command sergeant major (E-9 pay grade) — which is the most senior member of a battalion — though he ultimately retired in 2005 as a master sergeant (E-8 pay grade) due to not completing coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Before he was governor, Walz also served in Congress representing a rural Minnesota district that was previously thought to be decisively Republican, beating six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht in the 2006 midterms. At the time of his swearing-in, Walz was the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress, and was reelected to five additional terms despite being more liberal than his predecessor. He obtained 100% ratings from Planned Parenthood in 2012, from the American Civil Liberties Union in 2011, from the American Immigration Lawyers' Association in both 2009 and 2010, from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in both of those years, from the AFL-CIO labor union in 2010 and from the National Organization for Women in 2007.

Walz began his career as a public servant in education, moving to Mankato, Minnesota with his wife, Gwen Whipple in 1996. The eventual Minnesota governor taught geography at Mankato West High School and was also the football coach, where he led Mankato West to its first state championship in 1999. That same year, Walz agreed to be the faculty advisor for Mankato West's Gay-Straight Alliance.

"It really needed to be the football coach, who was the soldier and was straight and was married," Walz told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in 2018, during his first gubernatorial campaign.

Benen also noted that Walz boasted some of the best attributes of other finalists on Harris' shortlist. Like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Walz is a skilled communicator, having come up with the "weird" attack on the Republican ticket that both former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) have been unable to shake. Like Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Walz is a decorated military veteran, and his selection could appeal to veterans.

Walz shares Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro's regional appeal, and as Harris' running mate, he could help bring in voters from Midwestern battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin. And like Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, Walz could attract voters from rural communities.

"Democrats have expressed confidence of late that Walz will be a valuable asset throughout the Midwest," Benen wrote.

Click here to read Benen's column in full.

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