After almost a week of declaring the shortlisted contenders for the Vice- President ticket in the Democrat campaign, Kamala Harris has announced her much-anticipated pick. Tim Walz has emerged triumphant against Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Walz (60) began his political career in 2006 as a congressman, when he won a seat from a primarily Republican- leaning district; a seat which he kept till 2018, when he won two consecutive terms as the Minnesota Governor.
Table of Contents
Humble Beginnings
Born and brought up in Nebraska, he enlisted in the army at the age of 17 and served in the national guard for 24 years. After that, it was his wife, Gwen Walz who drew him to Nebraska, where he worked as a high school Geography teacher and American- football coach. At the Pennsylvania rally yesterday, Walz claimed that it was his students who inspired him to first run for office.
His middle- class roots allow him to have an advantage in the campaign. Walz lost his father to cancer, after which his family relied on social security benefits for their financial needs. It was the GI Bill that allowed him to attend college. His humble background and service in the military will come in handy in gaining over the support of Veterans, rural and traditional folks; especially considering that his rival and Trump’s running mate- JD Vance is also a (marine) veteran.
He has enacted several important legislations
Under his leadership, Minnesota has passed several progressive legislations that appeal to the American Youth. After getting re-elected as Governor, he assented to the “Democracy for the People Act” which allowed teenagers over 16 years to pre- register, facilitated automatic registration of voters at state agencies and made voter intimidation strictly punishable. He enacted legislation that made extensive background checks before the purchase of arms necessary.
He also legislated universal school meals, extended paid leaves, tax cuts for the middle class, legalized recreational marijuana and has been a staunch supporter of women’s Abortion Rights. Though he has not completely won over the rural population of Minnesota, he has fared there better than any other Democrat. As a result, Minnesota ranked in the top- three happiest states in the U.S.
The Democrats’ favoring of Waltz over Shapiro
Josh Shapiro could have potentially delivered Pennsylvania, which is one of the states that could swing either way. However, Walz was picked over him due to the former’s involvement in quite a few scandals.
In 2016, a Pennsylvania legislation prohibited the state from contracting businesses engaged in an Israeli Boycott. Shapiro attempted to get this law enforced against Ben & Jerry’s regarding the sale of their products in the West Bank. He has censured Pro- Palestinians many times which has led him being called “Genocide Josh”. However, it remains unclear how this will affect the pro- Palestine demography, since Walz is also an avid Israel supporter.
His candid commentary on Trump and his fellow Republicans
Tim Walz initially gained popularity and attracted the attention of the Democrats when he called Donald Trump “weird”. He has pilloried Trump’s handling of the Covid crisis and ban on Abortion rights. He mocked Trump at yesterday’s Pennsylvania rally when he told the public that violent crimes rose under his rule, and “that’s not even counting the crimes he committed.”
Harris and her second have spread their campaign at the expense of Trump and Vance, especially on the platform, X.
His straight- forward answers have ostensibly pleased the Americans. He had reportedly brought in about a whopping $20 million worth of donations by the evening since being declared as Harris’ running mate Tuesday morning.
