I’ve known Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for 18 years. We’ve been friends since we came into Congress together in the newly elected campaign class of 2006. I know him to be a kind and decent family man who exudes leadership and integrity. He is a former high school social studies teacher, football coach, and the highest-ranking enlisted soldier ever elected to Congress. He is friendly and likable, able to easily relate to independent and working class voters. He is the very definition of that age-old question that has defined successful politicians — someone you would enjoy having a beer with. But don’t let that down-home Midwestern demeanor fool you. He is a strong choice as the vice presidential running mate and will be formidable on the campaign trail.
Although he is being portrayed in the media as a darling of the progressive wing of the Democratic party, that is not entirely accurate. Tim made a name for himself during his six terms in Congress as a moderate legislator willing to work across both sides of the aisle. During his time as governor, he has noticeably moved to the left, as has the entire Democratic party over the past two decades. Still, it would be incorrect to typecast him as akin to Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders or AOC. Tim remains thoughtful and pragmatic, far from a liberal firebrand. For example, he supported a 2011 vote in the House that would have defunded the Obama-era gainful employment regulations. Although his views have likely evolved over time, it is noteworthy that early in his congressional career he took a public stand against the Obama GE rules. You can see the roll call results of the vote here.
He has cultivated a reputation as a leader on education policy, earning him the support of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers during the vetting process for the running mate sweepstakes. He and his wife were both public school teachers and he has a master’s degree in educational leadership. He has prioritized the issue as governor, but unlike Vice President Harris, he doesn’t have a long history of ideological obsession with for-profit colleges. He created Minnesota’s system of free public college access for lower-income families, and he has consistently fought for funding increases for both K-12 and public higher education. He is also strongly pro-union and signed legislation allowing university employees to unionize. Importantly, under Walz’s tenure as governor, Minnesota put limits on transcript holds and became the first state to ban revenue sharing agreements between outside OPM’s and state universities.
So, while he is certainly not ideologically aligned with proprietary involvement in higher education, he likewise hasn’t made it a focus of his attention as governor or in Congress. That said, as running mate for Vice President Harris, he will support her priorities. She has a long history of criticism of for-profit colleges and has used that reputation to her political advantage. Now that he is on the ticket, it is fair to assume that Gov. Walz will start incorporating that type of rhetoric into his campaign speeches.
Politically, I believe Walz will help with rural, working class, and independent voters who might otherwise be skeptical of Harris. While few people will actually cast their vote based upon the running mate, Walz will be an asset on the campaign trail as the Democrats try to win over persuadable voters in the few remaining swing states. He is a solid but probably not game-changing pick. With less than three months to go, the presidential election remains a toss-up.
As the election progresses, we will continue to offer commentary and personal observations in this space. As always, please let your CECU team know if you have any questions or issues you’d like to see us discuss.