5 things to know about Tim Walz, Democratic vice presidential nominee

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.

CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has gone from a relatively unknown Midwestern politician to accepting the nomination for the second-highest elected post in the United States in just two weeks. The campaign has little time to introduce him to voters.

Walz's speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday in Chicago will play a large role in that effort. Here are five facts to know about him:

1. The Walz-Harris campaign is leaning hard into his days of teaching and coaching

Walz routinely points back to his time in the classroom in speeches and public appearances. He has a long teaching history in Minnesota and Nebraska ahead of his time in elected office. Twenty-two of his former high school students from southern Minnesota turned out to the Minnesota Capitol last week to show their support for their former teacher.

One of the former students, Dan Clement, told reporters Walz being on the ticket changed how he was planning to vote in November.

“A lot of the other stuff that I may not agree with, gets thrown out the window when it comes to Coach Walz,” said Clement, a self-identified third-party voter. “That man did a lot for me in my life, and I owe him the support that he’s going to get from me.”

Walz credits some of his former students for encouraging him to first run for Congress in 2006.

Democrats hope these kinds of stories resonate with voters who might see a teacher or coach in Tim Walz that they had in school – especially in the crucial “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

2. Walz is not a native Minnesotan; he’s from Nebraska

Walz spent his