The Democratic governor entered the running mate chat earlier this week, with Democrats praising his affable persona, praise among unions and national experience as chair of the Democratic Governors Association.
“I think Walz is making a strong case,” one Democratic source told NewsNation.
It remains unknown if Walz, 60, was sent vetting material from Harris’ campaign, but he told CNN’s “ State of the Union ” on Sunday that “being mentioned is certainly an honor.”
Appealing to Democratic voters has also helped Walz land on the list being vetted to potentially be Harris’ running mate, especially after his comments regarding former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance earlier this week.
“These guys are just weird ,” Walz said in an MSNBC interview. “They’re running for He-man women-haters club or something.”
On Friday, Walz posted to X , poking fun at Trump’s recent campaign visit to his state.
“Donald Trump is coming back to the State of Hockey tomorrow for the hat trick,” Walz wrote. “He lost Minnesota in ’16, ’20, and he’ll lose it again in ’24.”
During the early months of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, Walz was full-throated in his defense of Biden, releasing a fundraising email on Biden’s behalf titled “Minnesotans Love Joe Biden.”
“I have to say this about Minnesota: it’s a great state, full of great people. And sometimes they do crazy things,” Walz wrote, such as making “political sideshows for themselves.”
However, Walz was the one who organized a call with other Democratic governors following Biden’s poor debate performance in June, expressing concern about the president’s ability to run for reelection.
Ultimately, Walz stood by Biden until the president announced he was ending his 2024 presidential campaign.
“Joe Biden’s stunning act of patriotism proves yet again why he’s a better president and a better man than Donald Trump. Biden cares more about the country than he does about himself,” Walz posted to X.
Walz, a Nebraska native, enlisted in the National Guard out of high school at 17 years old and served for 24 years. He also worked in agriculture and manufacturing before graduating from Chadron State College with a degree in education.
The veteran temporarily taught in China and on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation , which is one of the poorest areas in the country.
While teaching, Walz met his wife Gwen Walz and married her in 1994. The two moved to Minnesota, his wife’s home state, where they raised their two kids Hope and Gus.
In Mankato, Minnesota, Walz taught high school geography and coached football after earning his master’s degree in education.
But being raised by his parents to value public service, Walz pursued politics.
After retiring from the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery in 2005, Walz ran for Congress, winning a seat in the House in 2006. He served six terms in the House, representing Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.
During his time in Congress , he served on three House committees: Agriculture, Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs. He was also the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress.
After serving 12 years in Congress, Walz pursued his campaign for Minnesota governor.
In 2018, he was elected as the state’s 41st governor. He won reelection in 2022.
After the news that Biden dropped out of the presidential election, Walz threw his full support behind Harris.
“I’m proud to give Kamala my full support and commit to doing everything in my power to make sure she gets elected in November,” Walz posted on X .
Harris doesn’t have much of a relationship with Midwest voters, something that Walz could help her campaign secure as her running mate this November.
Axios reported that Walz would add to Harris’ campaign, providing a consistent progressive voice to the ticket which could help secure white working-class support in Midwestern states.
“In terms of auditioning, (Walz is) doing an exceptional job,” a person familiar with the Harris campaign’s VP conversations told Politico . “He’s got the Midwest grit, the Midwest sensibility and that appeal goes beyond the Midwest.”
However, the report said Harris’ circle was weighing how well the vice president would mesh with Walz, especially since he has been known to be a bit gruff during his congressional years.
Walz has since been out on the campaign trail for Harris, promoting the vice president and saying he will do whatever it takes to get her elected in November.
Walz easily won his gubernatorial reelection bid in 2022, allowing the Minnesota governor to continue to build on what he says are his “ signature accomplishments .”
Some of the legislation the governor has touted include:
Providing universal free school meals for students
Protecting reproductive rights for women
Strengthening voting rights
Laying the groundwork to get Minnesota to 100% clean electricity by 2040
Cutting taxes for the middle class
Expanding paid leave for Minnesota workers
The 60-year-old is not up for reelection this year, so he wouldn’t have to resign just to run for vice president, KARE 11 reported . However, he would have to step down as governor before the January inauguration if he was elected alongside Harris, the report said.
As governor, Walz worked to tackle issues around abortion, restricting gun access, the economy, legalizing recreational marijuana, providing legal refuge to transgender youths and more.
In January 2023, Walz signed a bill codifying abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Walz signed an executive order shielding people seeking or providing abortions in his state from facing legal consequences in other states. He also vowed to reject requests to extradite anyone accused of committing acts related to reproductive health care that are not criminal offenses in Minnesota.
In April 2023, Walz made Minnesota a refuge for young people coming from other states for gender-affirming care. He also signed legislation making Minnesota a sanctuary for abortion patients from other states and banning so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth.
“Look, I don’t know how hard this concept is to understand,” Walz said. “When someone else is given basic rights, others don’t lose theirs. We’re not cutting a pie here. We’ve giving basic rights to every single Minnesotan.”
Walz signed the bills on a day when Republican legislators in Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping anti-transgender bathroom law in the nation. A day earlier, Montana Republican leaders barred a transgender state lawmaker from the House floor after she rebuked colleagues who voted to ban gender-affirming care for children.
In May 2023, Walz signed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21 starting in August, making Minnesota the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults.
“This has been a long journey with a lot of folks involved,” Walz said at the time.
Walz has long been a supporter of legalizing recreational marijuana for adults. In 2021, the Democratic-controlled House passed a legalization bill with several Republicans voting yes, but the GOP-controlled Senate never gave it a vote.
Among his other accomplishments as governor, Walz signed a $2.3 billion education budget into law, which provided “students free breakfast and lunch at school, created thousands of new pre-K seats, expanded access to mental health resources for students, and made significant investments to improve child literacy.”
The Minnesota governor has been the target of conservative criticism regarding his progressive agenda, Politico reported.
“What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own health care decisions,” Walz sarcastically responded to the criticism.
However, in 2022, Walz came under fire for a Minnesota agency’s inadequate oversight of a federal program that was meant to provide food to kids, and its failure to act on red flags that created the opportunities that led to the theft of $250 million in one of the country’s largest pandemic aid fraud cases.
Seventy people were charged in federal court for their alleged roles in a scheme prosecutors say centered on a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future. Five of the first seven defendants to stand trial were convicted .
The trial gained widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag of $120,000 in cash the night before the case went to the jury.
Republican legislative leaders said the report shows that the failure to stop the fraud lies with Walz’s administration, which said the state’s hands were tied by a 2021 court order to resume payments despite its concerns — a charge the judge disputed — and that the FBI asked the state to continue making payments while the investigation continued.
The Democratic governor also took a lot of heat from GOP critics for his delayed response to the civil unrest following George Floyd’s 2020 death, claiming Walz failed to get the Minnesota National Guard promptly deployed.
The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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