 "Tim Walz, Kamala Harris")
United States Vice President Kamala Harris, contending as the leading presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate in the coming elections on Tuesday.
This bid is set to prove a tough challenge for Walz, who now has only three months to solidify his image as the next promising vice-president of the US. The elections are scheduled for November 5.
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Who is Tim Walz: Early career, family
A former high school football coach, 60-year-old Walz is a retired United States Army non-commissioned officer, one of the feats that put him in direct competition with Republican rival JD Vance, who is also a military veteran.
He grew up in Nebraska and taught as a social studies teacher, football coach, and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota from 1996 to 2006 before joining politics. He won the first of six terms in Congress in 2006 from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard. He has been governor since 2019.
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One of four siblings in his family, he lost a brother in 2016. Walz married his wife Gwen, also a teacher, in 1994. Gwen is passionate about prison reforms. The couple has two children: Hope and Gus.
What does Tim Walz’s election campaign mean for Kamala Harris?
Walz’s political campaign with Harris, picked during uncertain times for US politics, is expected to be quite unpredictable. It will likely be influenced by two main factors: Republican nominee Donald Trump’s assassination bid last month, coupled with Vance’s election bid, who is positioning himself as the voice for the American working class by relating his own childhood struggles.
Hence, Harris's pick for VP appears to be a bold but smart choice, as she brands Walz as “fighting for middle-class families.”
How is the US media seeing Tim Walz?
In the US media, Walz is seen as a “progressive” leader, credited for championing veterans' issues, protecting abortion rights, providing tax credits for families with children, universal free school meals for all students, and being vocal about climate change, among other issues.
What does Tim Walz think about China, the Ukraine war, and Israel tensions?
On China: One of Walz’s strengths that might prove fruitful for Harris is his decades-long connection to China. The Democrat presidential nominee taught English in China’s southern Guangdong province in 1989 and 1990 and has often spoken affectionately about the Chinese people.
Notably, he got married on the fifth anniversary of the deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown. In 2016, he had said in an interview that the US need not necessarily have an “adversarial relationship” with China. His positions appear largely in sync with the Biden administration’s approach to China, including competing in military and economic spheres.
On Ukraine: Walz met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023 and offered his “unwavering support” for the country amid the raging conflict with Russia.
On Israel: There is not a lot of information about Walz's stance on the Israel-Gaza war. He has condemned Hamas for the October 7 attack that triggered the ongoing war and supported a deal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Tim Walz’s views on immigration, LGBT+ rights
Besides providing financial aid to low—and middle-income families, Walz is also known for supporting citizenship for some undocumented immigrants. Notably, the NYT reported that he signed a bill last year that made undocumented immigrants eligible for Minnesota driver’s licences.
The governor has also worked with his state’s Democratic-controlled legislature to protect transgender people.
Is Tim Walz involved in any controversy?
Feeding Our Future scandal: Walz is largely blamed for the Feeding Our Future scandal, the federal food program scam worth $250 million, which took place during the pandemic. Prosecutors had charged nearly 70 people in the case, labelled as one of the largest pandemic aid fraud cases in the US. In June, a nonpartisan watchdog had criticised Walz's Department of Education for failing to act on warning signs.
Republicans continue to criticise Walz for his handling of the violence in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Minneapolis is a major city in Minnesota.
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