CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to formally accept the Democrat vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night after Vice President Harris announced him as her running mate this month.
Walz is expected to address the third night of the convention under the theme of “A Fight for Our Freedoms.”
Walz was elected to the House in 2006 and re-elected five times, representing Minnesota’s 1st congressional district, a mostly rural district covering the southern part of the state that includes a number of midsize cities. During his last two years on Capitol Hill, he served as ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
He won election as governor of Minnesota in 2018 and re-election four years later.
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In 1981, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard soon after graduating from high school. He was deployed to Italy to support Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002 before retiring two years later.
Walz’s military record has drawn scrutiny, with critics accusing Walz of being misleading when referencing deployments “in support” of Operation Enduring Freedom and public claims that he retired as a command sergeant major when he never completed the necessary coursework to keep the rank and instead retired as a master sergeant.
But Walz pushed back against critics last week, saying he was “proud to serve my country, and I always will be.”
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Walz can showcase a slew of progressive policy victories in Minnesota, including protecting abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana and restricting gun access to curb shootings.
In 2023, Walz signed a law banning “conversion therapy,” which also included prohibiting counselors from withholding recommendations for transgender surgical procedures or hormonal treatments for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.
Another key component of his transgender policy agenda is a law requiring free menstrual products in all public school bathrooms. Often called the “tampon law” in the media, it mandates that tampons and pads be provided at no cost in public schools for grades 4-12 to accommodate transgender students.
Walz’s address to the convention Wednesday night will come after former President Clinton makes an appearance.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the convention Monday night before President Biden gave his speech, a move to formally pass the torch to Vice President Harris as the Democrat presidential nominee.
The Clintons quickly endorsed Harris after Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also expected to address the convention on Wednesday night.
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