Pioneer Press
Updated ·4 min read
Tim Walz was born April 6, 1964, in West Point, Neb. He grew up in Valentine, Neb., and went on to attend Chadron State College, where he received his teaching degree. He took a job teaching and coaching in Alliance, Neb.
He and his wife, Gwen, moved to Mankato, Minn., in 1996 where he taught and coached football. He and his wife received master’s degrees in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Mankato West won a state championship in 1999 while he was a coach there.
Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and served for 24 years, reaching the rank of command sergeant major. In 2003, he began a 10-month tour in Italy on a security detail with the 1st Battalion of the 125th Field Artillery, headquartered in New Ulm, Minn.
He got involved in the John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004 and later ran for Congress, beating incumbent Gil Gutknecht, a Republican, in 2006. He served six terms in Congress and was on the Agriculture, Armed Services and Veteran Affairs committees.
In 2017, Walz announced he was leaving Congress to run for governor. He was elected the next year, defeating GOP candidate Jeff Johnson. He won re-election in 2022. Walz is currently the chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
While serving in Congress, Walz — a hunter — was viewed as something of a political moderate and had the endorsem*nt of the NRA. He broke on the issue of guns in 2018 and went on to sign several gun-control bills as governor.
Pandemic, George Floyd
When the pandemic arrived in March 2020, Walz ordered all nonessential workers to stay at home, closed schools, bars and restaurants and banned large public gatherings. He also imposed a moratorium on housing evictions, created a nutrition program for children and provided paid leave for workers sickened by COVID-19.
As scientists and public health experts provided better data on measures to slow the spread of the virus, the governor eased many restrictions. He also directed hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal relief funds to local governments, food shelves and food banks.
In an interview with the Pioneer Press months afterward, he noted the challenges of that time.
“I’m not going to make the case that every decision we made was correct, but I can assure people that we made it with the best data at the time, with the best interests of Minnesota at heart,” Walz said.
Walz was governor during the murder of George Floyd and the riots that followed in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He activated the National Guard to respond, although there was a dispute over how clear the orders were from civilian authorities and whether they should have been brought in earlier. Walz has said he and other authorities acted in good faith and did the best they could given the unimaginable circ*mstances.
2023 Legislature, Feeding Our Future
The 2023 Legislature — under DFL control — passed a $72 billion budget that Walz and DFLers called the “One Minnesota” budget. It included bills to create $1.5 billion in new child tax credits, boost funding for education by $2.2 billion and provide free public college tuition to people from families earning $80,000 or less each year. It also provided free meals to Minnesota students regardless of income.
“It’s going to mean a fairer, more inclusive, better and more prosperous Minnesota,” Walz said. “We’re leaving no one behind.”
GOP critics point to billions in new taxes in the budget despite the state’s historic $17.5 billion budget surplus. And, they disputed Walz’s “One Minnesota” characterization, saying the bills had minimal input from the minority — which represents districts containing just under half of the state’s population.
Walz also has faced criticism over the Feeding Our Future fraud case, which authorities say involved a $250 million embezzlement scheme with federal funds intended to help those in need during the pandemic being diverted elsewhere.
And, after allegations surfaced in 2023 of a toxic environment at Minnesota veterans home in Hastings, the Senate veterans committee called Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke to testify. Herke later fired two top officials who were responsible for overseeing care at the Hastings facility: site administrator Mike Anderson and Deputy Commissioner Doug Hughes. Herke later that year retired due to an ALS diagnosis.
Related Articles
Elections | What polling shows about Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ new running mate
Elections | Harris introduces new running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the ‘vice president America deserves’
Elections | Here’s what happens if Gov. Tim Walz becomes vice president
Elections | The Latest: Harris, facing a crucial week, closes in on running mate pick
