Kamala Harris taps Tim Walz, National Guard veteran, as running mate

Tim Walz, named Tuesday as the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, is the current governor of Minnesota, a former high school teacher, a six-term congressman and a long-tenured veteran of the Army National Guard.

Walz, 60, enlisted in the National Guard in 1981 at the age of 17 and retired as a command sergeant major in 2005. In 2006, he became the highest ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress.

Walz used the office to champion veterans issues, and a decade later rose to become the Democratic minority leader on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Chaired by former Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., the committee was praised widely during President Donald Trump’s administration as a rare example of bipartisanship.

Members of veterans organizations who worked with Walz during that time reacted positively Tuesday to Harris’ choice.

“Gov. Walz is a great choice,” John Rowan, the former president of Vietnam Veterans of America, wrote on Facebook. “He helped Vietnam veterans get the benefits they deserved to take care of their illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure during his tenure.”

Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann, the deputy director for government and legislative affairs for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, described Walz on social media Tuesday as a good man and hard worker. She praised Walz’ ability to work with Republicans on the veterans’ affairs committee, particularly on the Forever GI Bill, legislation approved in 2017 that expanded veterans’ education benefits.

“I hope he brings that bipartisanship to the future,” she wrote.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, or IAVA, released a statement Tuesday applauding Harris for choosing a veteran to add to the Democratic ticket.

The group earlier praised the nomination of Walz’ opponent, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 and deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent.

When Trump chose Vance as his vice president candidate at the Republican National Convention in July, he became the first post-9/11 veteran to be nominated as part of a major-party ticket.

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Both men represent the post-9/11 generation of veterans, as well as those who served in the enlisted ranks, said Allison Jaslow, CEO of the group.

Before Vance and Walz, the most recent veteran on a major-party ticket was John McCain in 2008. They are the first veterans of the enlisted ranks on a presidential ballot since Al Gore in 2000.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Post-9/11 generation of veterans is ascendant in America today,” Jaslow said. “We applaud Vice President Harris for heeding our call and choosing a post-9/11 veteran to join her in her candidacy to be commander-in-chief. And notably, someone who served in, and led troops, in the enlisted ranks.”

With the pick, Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, The Associated Press reported. As governor, Walz helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda in Minnesota, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Conservatives have criticized Walz over his handling of the arson and looting that followed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.

Walz deployed the National Guard three days after Floyd’s murder, and some Republicans argued that he was too slow to respond.

This story was produced in partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism. Please send tips to [email protected].