Tim Walz is still introducing himself to voters. Here are things to know about Harris’ VP pick

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will face a national audience that’s still getting to know him when he headlines the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night.

Walz wasn’t widely known outside of Minnesota before Harris chose him to join her on the Democratic presidential ticket. But they clicked when the vice president interviewed him, and she was impressed by his record as a governor and congressman — and the splash he made on TV. His attack line against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — spread like a prairie fire.

Since Harris announced her pick, the country has been learning more about the 60-year-old governor and self-described “Midwest dad.” Here’s a look at Walz as he prepares for his biggest speech of the campaign so far:

From teacher to VP pick

The Nebraska native was a geography teacher and assistant football coach at Mankato West High School in southern Minnesota before he ran for Congress and upset Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht in 2006. He was seen as a centrist, known for his work on veterans issues. Walz was elected governor in 2018, and was reelected in 2022 in an election that gave Democrats full control of state government.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Vance and Walz are still relatively unknown, but the governor is better liked, an AP-NORC poll finds </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline