After President Biden’s exit from the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris made her campaign debut as the Democratic nominee. Harris’s recent announcement of running mate, Governor Tim Walz, has been met with both heavy praise and scrutiny. Walz has earned himself the nickname “Tampon Tim” from some, including Republican nominee Donald Trump. Harris and Walz have been major talking points in recent weeks, especially after Trump’s announcement of his own vice-presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, as the election increasingly turns into a game of opposites. Who is Tim Walz, and what can be expected from him in the upcoming election season?
Harris made her vice-presidential announcement nationally in early August, immediately sparking reactions from voters on all sides of the political spectrum. Walz, a former teacher, has prioritized education policy throughout his political career. During the pandemic, he introduced a new plan in order to keep education accessible for children in Minnesota schools and signed legislation in March 2023 providing free breakfast and lunch. One 2023 law, however, has gained extra attention recently. It requires all school districts to provide menstrual products for students at no cost, gaining attention for the gender neutral language used and earning him the now widely known nickname. Supporters of the Kamala-Walz campaign have since reclaimed the “Tampon Tim” title.
The 60-year-old Walz has been governor of Minnesota since taking office in 2019. Before that, he served on the committees of Agriculture, Veteran Affairs, and Armed Services in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 2007. Born in West Bank, Nebraska, he attended Butte High School and earned an undergraduate degree at Chadron State College and later a graduate degree at Minnesota State University. He enlisted in the National Guard when he was 17 and served for 24 years. Retiring as a Command Sergeant Major, he became the highest-ranking enlisted soldier in Congress.
The family of the former teacher and football coach has also caught the nation’s attention in recent weeks. Walz and wife Gwen met while teaching high school and now have two children. Their daughter, Hope, received her name following the family’s struggle with infertility. The family recently appeared at the Democratic National Convention and have received press for their close relationships. Walz’s political endeavors reflect that. “I can remember praying each night for a phone call, the pit in your stomach when the phone had rang, and the absolute agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked… But we had access to fertility treatments. And when our daughter was born we named her Hope,” Walz told the crowd during his speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Since he joined the campaign, the election has been heavily discussed as tensions rise before November. His impact on the voters is reflected in the engagement numbers of polls, with numbers changing since the announcement this month. According to The Guardian, polls voting for Harris’s ticket spiked up to 48.4% by August 6 compared to 43.7% on July 31. This spike lines up with the introduction of Walz to the campaign. Walz has turned up the heat in the online debates and driven more attention to the subject with an attention-drawing name and his work in Minnesota.
