Five things you need to know about Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz's 'old and young match'

Written by: STEVE KARNOWSKI, JOHN HANNA

Compilation: Bitpush

Vice President Kamala Harris has decided to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The 60-year-old Democrat, who is also a military veteran, has become a focus through a series of candid television programs after Biden decided to withdraw from the presidential race. He has made Minnesota a stronghold of liberal policies. This year, Minnesota has become one of the few states where fans can purchase Taylor Swift concert tickets and other live event tickets online.

Some things you need to know about Waltz:

Waltz comes from the American countryside

It’s hard to find anyone who can better represent the heartland of America than Waltz. Waltz was born in West Point, Nebraska, a town of about 3,500 people located in the northwest of Omaha. He joined the National Guard and worked as a teacher in Nebraska.

In the 1990s, he and his wife moved to Mankato in the southern part of Minnesota. There, he taught social studies and served as a football coach at Mankato West High School, including leading the team to win the state championship for the first time in 1999. He still mentions that he is a union member there.

Waltz served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major, which is one of the highest soldier ranks in the military. However, because he did not complete all of his training before retiring, his honorary rank was set as Sergeant.

He has proven his ability to connect with conservative voters.

In his first bid for Congress, Walz defeated a Republican incumbent. In 2006, he defeated six-term Congressman Gil Gutknecht in a predominantly rural congressional district in southern Minnesota. Walz capitalized on voter anger at President George W. Bush and the Iraq War at the time.

During his six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Walz has always supported issues affecting veterans.

By posting videos related to his daughter Hope on social media, he also showed a down-to-earth side. Last fall, after discussing the fair food and his daughter being a vegetarian, they tried the slingshot ride at the Minnesota State Fair.

He can help Harris win in key Midwest states

Although Waltz is not from the key ‘blue wall’ states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, both sides believe they need to win in these states, but he is right next door. He can also ensure that Minnesota remains in the hands of the Democratic Party.

This is important because former President Trump depicted Minnesota as a hot state this year, despite the fact that no Republican has been elected to statewide office since 2006. Since President Richard Nixon won overwhelmingly in 1972, no Republican presidential candidate has won the state, but Trump has campaigned there.

When Democratic Governor Mark Dayton decided not to seek a third term in 2018, Walz ran with the theme of ‘One Minnesota’ and won the position.

Waltz also casually discusses the issues that concern rust belt voters. He has always been a supporter of the Democratic cause, including union organizations, workers’ rights, and a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

He has experience dealing with a divided government.

During his first term as governor, Walz faced legislative disagreements between the Democrat-led House and the Republican-controlled Senate, with the Senate opposing his proposals to increase funding for schools, healthcare, and roads through tax hikes. However, he was able to reach compromises with lawmakers, making the divided government in the state still effective.

In his second year as governor, bipartisan cooperation became more difficult as he used his emergency powers to close businesses and schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans pushed back, forcing some agency heads to step down. Republicans also criticized Walz for what they saw as a slow response to the violent riots that occurred after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

After Waltz defeated Republican Scott Jensen in his second term, things eased up, as Jensen is a well-known national vaccine skeptic. With the Democrats in control of both legislative bodies, and with the help of a huge budget surplus, the path for the state government to take a more liberal approach was paved.

Waltz and legislators have repealed almost all of the Republican state’s abortion restrictions, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

The Democratic Party rejected the Republican request to use state budget surpluses to reduce taxes, instead funding free school meals for children, free public university for students from families with annual incomes below $80,000, paid family and medical leave plans, and health insurance, regardless of individual immigration status.

He is good at expressing political views with his voice.

Last month, Walz said in an MSNBC interview that Republican candidate Trump and running mate JD Vance were ‘strange,’ and a Democratic Governors Association article on X further elaborated on this point. Walz later reiterated this description on CNN, citing Trump’s repeated references to fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the film ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ in his campaign speeches.

This word quickly became a theme for Harris and other Democrats and could become a slogan for this inevitably peculiar 2024 election.

In addition, Waltz is known for taking stricter regulation on the encryption industry.