US election: ALL you need to know about VP Kamala Harris running mate, a former teacher

Kamala Harris has chosen Governor Tim Walz, a former school teacher and member of Congress, as her vice-presidential nominee.

The two-term Democratic governor was tapped by U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris to be her presidential campaign running mate on Tuesday, ending an accelerated search for a vice-presidential candidate as the race to the White House heats up.

He is viewed as somebody who can win over rural and working-class voters, particularly in crucial Midwestern US states.

The choice of Walz, 60, came after he quickly emerged as a leading messenger for Democrats, portraying liberal policy positions in a common-sense manner that may appeal to Midwestern voters whose support Harris needs to win the presidency.

Mr. Walz later appeared with Ms. Harris later on Tuesday at a campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before the pair begin a five-day tour of other key battleground states.

They will also speak at the Democratic National Convention later this month, from 19 to 22 August in Chicago, when the Harris-Walz ticket will be made formal.

Below are a few things to know about Tim Walz:
He’s also credited as the first to label Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance as “weird,” which has caught fire among the Harris campaign and Democrats in general.
“He’s a pretty safe choice,” said Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University who studies American politics.

“He’s very down to earth and can explain liberal values and what the government’s priorities should be in a way that talks about the social safety net and helping people build their lives, as opposed to ‘we’re taxing you more.’”
Walz’s state also shares a 885-kilometer border with Canada — and a trade economy worth billions of dollars every year.

Walz was born in West Point, Neb., a community of about 3,500 people northwest of Omaha. Walz joined the Army National Guard and became a teacher in Nebraska.

He and his wife Gwen moved to Mankato in southern Minnesota in the 1990s, where he continued his teaching career and coached high school football.
Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring from a field artillery battalion in 2005 as a command sergeant major, one of the military’s highest enlisted ranks.
He entered politics in 2006 by defeating a six-term Republican incumbent, Gil Gutknecht, for a seat in the U.S. Congress, first displaying his ability to connect with conservative voters. He also capitalized on anger towards then-president George W. Bush and the Iraq War.
During his own six terms in the House of Representatives, Walz became known as a champion of veterans issues. He won praise for helping to reach a bipartisan consensus for veterans’ health and education benefits during Trump’s divisive term.
When he successfully ran for the Minnesota governorship in 2018, he portrayed Democratic ideals like union organizing, workers’ rights, and a higher minimum wage in ways that appealed to rural middle-class voters who otherwise vote Republican.
“He’s a hunter but understands the sense of gun laws. He is liberal in terms of a wider social safety net.”

As governor, Walz has sought to further deepen economic ties with Canada, which is the state’s largest trading partner by far.
In June, Walz traveled to Canada with an economic and agricultural delegation that sought to promote their state as a trade and investment destination. Canada and Minnesota each have more than 60 companies operating within each other’s borders, employing thousands of local workers.
Walz met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford at Queen’s Park during the trip, and Ford highlighted the “billions of dollars in two-way trade” between their economies and the need to “protect and grow” those ties