Can Tim Walz secure Midwestern swing states? That's what Democrats are hoping

As Minnesota governor, Tim Walz helped green-light a slate of progressive policy priorities.

"As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his," Kamala Harris wrote in a statement. "We are going to build a great partnership."

In his first term as governor, Walz worked with a divided government to pass a state budget that appealed to both sides: more spending for schools and a tax cut.

After his re-election in 2022 and with Democrats in control of the state legislature, Walz helped his party usher in another round of progressive policies, including:

• Free school meals for students
• Legal protections for abortion and those seeking gender-affirming care
• New gun restrictions
• Paid family and medical leave benefits for workers

According to sources close to the campaign who were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly, Harris picked Walz for his executive experience and leadership on these issues. The source also pointed to his Midwest background, which would help appeal to swing voters, and his ability to be an effective messenger against the Trump-Vance ticket.

When asked on CNN's State of the Union whether these policies would make him too progressive a candidate, Walz responded with sarcasm.

"What a monster. Kids are eating, eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own health care decisions," he said. "So if that's what they want to label me, I'm more than happy to take the label."

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A simple start and a folksy demeanor

Walz may be on the national stage now, but his life began in a small town in rural Nebraska.

"My town had 400 people in it, 24 kids in my graduating class, 12 were cousins," he told MSBNC's Morning Joe recently.

At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army National Guard, then enrolled in college under the G.I. Bill. Walz ultimately became a public school teacher and married fellow educator Gwen Whipple.

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, who leads the state's largest teachers' union, said Walz has never forgotten his teaching roots.

"He's been a great governor to work with, you know, his record for investing in public education. Everything that he's done to improve working lives for working families, protecting collective bargaining," Specht said. "He has a great track record that I think would resonate across this country."

Once a high school football coach, he talks fast and has a folksy demeanor, often sporting a plain T-shirt and a ballcap to casual occasions instead of a suit, and he is fond of using one-liners and dad jokes to poke at political rivals.

In recent interviews, Walz described former President Donald Trump's policy priorities as "weird," which the Harris campaign has since taken and run with.

Walz isn't without political baggage or critics

Walz faced setbacks during his time as governor. Initially, he had a good working relationship with former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican.

"We found compromises that worked well for the state of Minnesota," Gazelka told NPR. "He did eventually agree to the tax cuts that I was pushing and I agreed to fund education at levels higher than I thought we should."

That relationship soured, however, as COVID-19 spread and Walz instituted a mask mandate as well as business and school shutdowns, frustrating critics.

He has also faced harsh criticism for his handling of the protests and riots that followed the murder of George Floyd after Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. Walz called in thousands of National Guard soldiers and state troopers, but not quickly enough to prevent the burning of a police precinct and looting of several businesses.

He and Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey publicly disagreed over who should have taken charge.

"I felt like he froze," Gazelka said. "And that delayed getting the National Guard out three days beyond what Mayor Frey had requested. And that's just unacceptable to not be able to handle the crisis in a way that I think it should have been handled."