Teacher, veteran and gridiron glory: Tim Walz’s All-American background propelled him to the biggest political stage

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been chosen to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in the race against former President Donald Trump and JD Vance.

The pick was praised by Democrats across the board, with former President Barack Obama calling him an “outstanding governor” and former speaker Nancy Pelosi saying that he’s a “heartland of America Democrat."

“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team,” Harris said on social media as she announced her pick.

Walz said on X on Tuesday that it was the “honor of a lifetime” to join the ticket.

“Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school,” he added.

Early polling reveals that most Americans haven’t heard of Tim Walz, with 71 percent of Americans saying in a recent NPR/PBS/Marist survey that they either haven’t heard of the governor or don’t have an opinion of him.

Here’s a rundown of Walz’s life and family background:

Born in West Point, Nebraska, on April 6, 1964, Walz grew up in rural Valentine, Nebraska, alongside his three siblings. His father, a public school administrator, was diagnosed with lung cancer when Walz was in high school and the family moved to Butte, Nebraska, to be closer to his father’s relatives.

The family farmed in the summers between the school years. During his campaign for governor in 2018, Walz recalled to the Star Tribune that he and his friends would bring their guns to school so they could hunt turkeys after football practice.

A year after he graduated high school in 1982, his father died, a moment that shaped his views on access to healthcare, saying in a 2018 ad that the “last