Jenn Ackerman/The New York Times/Redux
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sits at the State Capitol in St. Paul in April 2023.
Family Photo
A baby Tim Walz is held by his father, James. The future Minnesota governor was born on April 6, 1964, in West Point, Nebraska.
US Army
Walz poses for a photo in 1981 during basic training for the Army National Guard. In 1989, he graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska, majoring in social science education. He received a master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
US Army
Walz, right, and Gary Bloomberg stand at an artillery training facility at Camp Guernsey in Wyoming in 1992.
Jim Mone/AP
As a first-time candidate for Congress, Walz arrives at an event featuring former Vice President Walter Mondale in Owatonna, Minnesota, in October 2006. Walz was in a tight race with Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Walz, second from right, appears with other newly elected House members on the steps of the US Capitol in November 2006.
Susan Walsh/AP
Walz talks with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in Washington, DC, in 2007. Over more than a decade in Congress, Walz assembled a fairly centrist voting record. As a first-time campaigner, he opposed a ban on same-sex marriage and supported abortion rights. And once in Congress, he balanced that out with comparatively more conservative positions on gun rights, which resulted in him scoring a National Rifle Association endorsement. Walz has since fallen out of favor with the gun lobby over his support for gun safety actions as governor.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Shortly after winning a third term, Walz appears with his wife, Gwen, and their children, Hope and Gus, at a mock swearing-in ceremony with House Speaker John Boehner in 2011.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Walz, right, looks at fellow Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack during a meeting of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in February 2012.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Walz and other lawmakers watch President Barack Obama sign the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act in April 2012.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Walz questions witnesses from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2014 as the House Veterans' Affairs Committee investigates allegations of gross mismanagement and misconduct at VA hospitals.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Walz speaks with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Capitol Hill in 2015.
Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune/AP
Walz, a candidate for governor, hugs his children, Hope and Gus, following a campaign rally in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2018. Walz would go on to win that election to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.
Doug Glass/AP
Walz, as governor-elect, leans to get a picture of the wife and children of Steve Grove, left, in January 2019. Grove was Walz's new commissioner of employment and economic development. At right is Peggy Flanagan, the incoming lieutenant governor.
Jim Mone/AP
Walz reads a book to children in January 2019 at People Helping People, a shelter in Minneapolis for families experiencing homelessness amid extreme cold weather conditions.
Bebeto Matthews/AP
Walz attends a memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis in June 2020. At left is Martin Luther King III. Behind them is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Walz greets Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate arrives in Duluth, Minnesota, in September 2020.
Mohamed Ibrahim/AP
Walz, right, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty receive Covid-19 vaccines in Eagan, Minnesota, in March 2021.
John Minchillo/Pool/AP
Walz and Klobuchar speak in April 2021 before funeral services for Daunte Wright, an unarmed Black man who was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop.
Abbie Parr/AP
Walz hands out pumpkin bars to a gun safety advocate before the first day of the legislative session in St. Paul in January 2023.
Stephen Maturen/AFP/Getty Images
Walz greets Vice President Kamala Harris as she arrives in Minneapolis in March 2024.
Caroline Yang/The New York Times/Redux
Walz poses with people in St. Paul at a canvassing event for the Democratic presidential ticket in July 2024. Walz had been an outspoken defender of Biden. But when the president dropped out, Walz endorsed Kamala Harris the next day and has since emerged as a reliable, energetic and cutting advocate for the Democratic nominee.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Harris and Walz hold their first joint campaign rally in Philadelphia in August 2024.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Walz formally accepts the vice presidential nomination during his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024. “It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States,” he said at the start of his speech.
Will Lanzoni/CNN
CNN’s Dana Bash, right, interviews Harris and Walz in Savannah, Georgia, in August 2024. It was Harris’ first in-depth interview with a major media outlet since she became the nominee.
Mike Segar/Reuters
Walz and Republican JD Vance take part in a vice presidential debate in October 2024. It was held in New York without a live audience.
Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune/AP
Walz participates in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, in October 2024.
CNN  — 

Here is a look at the life of Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and former vice presidential candidate.

Personal

Birth date: April 6, 1964

Birth place: West Point, Nebraska

Birth name: Timothy James Walz

Father: James Walz

Mother: Darlene Walz

Marriage: Gwen (Whipple) Walz (1994-present)

Children: Hope and Gus

Education: Chadron State College, B.S., 1989; Minnesota State University in Mankato, M.S., 2001; attended Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Military service: Army National Guard, 1981-2005, Command Sergeant Major but retired as Master Sergeant

Religion: Lutheran

Other Facts

His last name is pronounced WALLS.

While teaching and coaching in Minnesota, became the faculty adviser for Mankato West High School’s first Gay-Straight Alliance.

Has spoken about his family’s journey with fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization, or IVF, before welcoming their daughter Hope.

During his time as governor, Minnesota Democrats were able to codify abortion rights into law, increase transgender rights protections, pass a marijuana legalization bill and install new gun safety laws.

Timeline

1989-1990 - Teaches high school students in China through a Harvard-affiliated program.

1991-1996 - High school teacher and coach in Alliance, Nebraska.

September 1995 - Walz is pulled over in Nebraska for driving 96 mph in a 55-mph zone and arrested for speeding and on suspicion of drunk driving. He later pleads guilty to a reckless driving misdemeanor charge and pays a fine.

1996-2006 - Teaches at Mankato West High School in Minnesota. Walz also helps coach the football team to its first state championship in 1999.

2007-2019 - US Representative for the 1st Congressional District of Minnesota, serving six terms.

November 6, 2018 - Is elected governor of Minnesota.

January 7, 2019 - Is sworn in as Minnesota’s 41st governor.

May 28, 2020 - Activates the Minnesota National Guard following nights of unrest in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul after George Floyd was killed on May 25 when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck.

November 8, 2022 - Is reelected governor with more than 52% of the vote.

March 14, 2024 - Accompanies Vice President Kamala Harris to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota when she becomes the first sitting vice president to visit a clinic that performs abortions.

August 6, 2024 - Harris announces Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election.

November 5, 2024 - Donald Trump and JD Vance defeat Harris and Walz in the 2024 presidential election.