At first glance, he could look like a confirmation of the anticipations that emerged in recent weeks: he is white, middle-aged, and a man. However, this is a characterization that does not do justice to the multifaceted personality of Tim Walz, current governor of Minnesota and, since August 6, Democratic candidate for vice-president of the United States of America.
The news came out in the US media during the afternoon, it was later confirmed by Kamala Harris, and finally made official by Walz himself with a social media post in which he accepted the nomination by commenting: “It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign. I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us.” A direct tone that fully reflects the personality and politics of Tim Walz.
Who is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s running mate as vice-president?
The son of a veteran, Walz was raised on the family farm. At 17, he enlisted in the army, where he stayed for the next 24 years. He later graduated thanks to federal aid for veterans and went on to become a high school teacher, football coach, member of Congress, and governor of Minnesota. Tim Walz's career seems truly within the reach of any middle-class American. A hunter and supporter of the second amendment, he owns weapons but promotes more stringent regulations, he is in favor of abortion and easier access to fertility treatments, having he and his wife, who he met when they were both teaching, resorted to such treatments to conceive their first daughter, Hope.
Close to the working class, especially farmers, Tim Walz's politics has always been shaped by pragmatic progressivism. As governor of Minnesota, currently in his second term, he has legislated to reduce the cost of insulin and garbage taxes for the working class, he has introduced paid leave to allow workers to care for sick family members, he funded the state police and invested in public safety. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, he made Minnesota the first state to pass a law that grants abortion rights.
A lifelong resident of the Midwest, Tim Walz leads a state that has been firmly in the hands of Democrats. In recent weeks, it had become clear that Kamala Harris might choose between Walz and Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, a swing state. But Shapiro, who is Jewish, has sided with Israel since October 7 and has some other “weak points”, compared to Walz, who, with his image as a determined but affable politician and with his clear anti-Trump stance, must have looked like a safer choice to Harris.
Tim Walz, a candidate for the climate
From a climate agenda standpoint, Tim Walz is certainly a winning choice for Kamala Harris, as she aims to succeed a US president with a solid record on climate change policies that is neither easy to preserve nor to overcome.
His commitment to climate and the environment is widely recognized. As Justin Worland, who met Walz during a public debate on climate change, explains in Time Magazine, “during his tenure, the state passed a law requiring Minnesota utilities to generate 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040, prioritized public transit and e-bikes in its $1.3 billion transport program, and created a $2 billion climate spending program that resembles the Inflation Reduction Act with incentives for everything from rooftop solar to electric school buses”.
On July 23, a $200 million investment to improve Minnesota's food systems was announced, assigned through the EPA's (the US Environmental Protection Agency) climate pollution reduction grant program.
“Minnesota has consistently been a leader in climate solutions. From clean energy to sustainable agriculture, our climate goals are ensuring a healthier, safer state. Today, we’re celebrating another significant milestone in this journey,” said Governor Tim Walz. “With the EPA’s help, we are creating a food system that nourishes Minnesotans while reducing waste and climate pollution.”
Walz has won widespread support for having legislated on a divisive issue such as climate by addressing the issues closest to people's daily lives, such as employment, labor, economic opportunities. Tim Walz has understood that “it’s not enough that climate policies are good for society. Politicians need to do better explaining it and proving it”. An approach that could make a difference for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano
Images: © Office of Governor Tim Walz via Flickr