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Join Now10 Things You Didn’t Know About Governor Tim Walz
It’s official: Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to join her campaign as her running mate. As a former schoolteacher and veteran, Tim Walz knows what it means to serve both his community and his country. From his time in Congress to his tenure as governor of Minnesota, Walz has been fighting for working families—just keep reading to get a glimpse at all that he’s accomplished so far in his career.
Here are 10 things you should know about Kamala Harris’s new running mate:
10. Tim Walz is serious about eradicating child poverty.
As governor, he enacted a universal free school meals program at Minnesota public schools. As a former teacher himself, Gov. Walz said that providing free breakfast and lunch for students is one of the best investments we can make to support working families.1
9. Tim Walz fights for reproductive freedom.
As governor, Tim Walz made clear he’s an ally to the movement to expand abortion rights. Gov. Walz enacted a law that enshrined “reproductive freedom” into the state’s constitution. Under Walz, the state repealed other abortion-related restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period for people seeking abortions, and passed a law meant to shield Minnesota health providers and patients from abortion-related prosecution in other states.2
8. Tim Walz fights against corporate greed.
Gov. Walz raised taxes on businesses and wealthy individuals to pay for an expanded state social safety net and a variety of tax benefits aimed at low-income taxpayers and working families.3
7. Tim Walz is a climate champion.
Tim Walz is a clean energy and climate champion, passing several climate initiatives that reduced pollution, created jobs in renewable energy, and protected clean water as Minnesota governor. Under his leadership, Minnesota is transitioning to 100% clean energy generation by 2040 and is the first state in the Midwest to adopt more-rigorous pollution standards for cars, reducing carbon pollution by 2 million tons by 2030.4
6. Tim Walz believes in marijuana reform. Gov. Walz signed a bill that would allow recreational marijuana use by people over the age of 21 in Minnesota and made it the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults. In a historic first, the Democratic Party ticket now consists of two candidates who support marijuana legalization.5
5. Tim Walz supports workers and their right to organize.
As a former National Education Association union member, Tim Walz has shown up for workers and their right to organize. Walz approved an expansive labor bill that secured a host of protections for workers, from guaranteeing paid sick leave to banning mandatory anti-union meetings hosted by employers as well as noncompete agreements.6 Walz also signed into law a bill that made Minnesota the first state to establish a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers, in addition to protecting Amazon warehouse workers from dangerous quotas.7
4. Tim Walz is an LGBTQ+ ally.
From banning conversion therapy to making it illegal for libraries to ban books solely because they have LGBTQ themes or characters, Gov. Walz has demonstrated his commitment to protecting LGBTQ+ people. Showing solidarity with LGBTQ+ people isn’t new for Tim Walz. Back in 1999, Gov. Walz, then a 35-year-old social studies teacher at Mankato West High School, advised the school’s first gay-straight alliance (GSA), a student-led club supporting LGBTQ students and families. As vice president, Tim Walz will support the LGBTQ+ community.8
3. Tim Walz welcomes immigrants.
Walz recognizes the importance of protecting our immigrant communities and rejecting right-wing rhetoric by passing commonsense immigration system reform. As governor, Walz defended Minnesota’s history of welcoming refugees and immigrants, supporting relief for Dreamers, and keeping families together.9
2. Tim Walz is an advocate for commonsense gun reforms.
After the Parkland shooting, Tim Walz walked away from his A+ NRA rating after his then-teenage daughter, Hope, asked him to do everything in his power to prevent gun violence. Walz donated all of his NRA campaign contributions to organizations supporting veterans. As a gun owner and hunter, Gov. Walz now proudly has a F- NRA rating and supports universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and he has passed safe storage laws in Minnesota.10
1. Tim Walz thinks Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are weird.
Gov. Walz knows that Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda aren’t just insidious—they’re weird! Wanting to control what someone else wants to read? Weird! Restricting someone else’s bodily autonomy? Weird! Looking out for corporations and the ultra-wealthy instead of the working class? Unequivocally weird!
Will you sign up now to volunteer with MoveOn? We need you to defeat Donald Trump and his dangerous Project 2025 agenda.
We’re not going back in this election; we’re going forward. Gov. Walz’s legislative record shows us the future we’re fighting for in this election: protecting abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana, and commonsense gun reforms. If we successfully elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, then we’re one step closer to turning this progressive vision—where our communities can thrive—into a reality.