The Minnesota governor, a former high school teacher and football coach, used his speech to add a small-town touch to the Democrats’ agenda.
ADVERTISINGMinnesota Governor Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for vice president on Wednesday, concluding the third day of the party’s national convention in Chicago.
In a speech that drew widespread applause in the arena, Walz described his childhood in a small town in Nebraska and used his roots to draw a contrast with his Republican opponent JD Vance.
“I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people,” he said, taking a swipe at Vance, who hails from an Ohio town and claims Appalachian roots. “I had 24 kids in my high school class and none of them went to Yale.”
Before Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate, many Americans had never heard of Walz, but his selection is seen as a strategic move to gain traction with Midwestern voters, whose support is critical in the upcoming election.
Walz’s speech was characterized by the sharp rhetoric that had made him so popular in the first weeks of his election campaign.
“It’s an agenda that nobody asked for,” he said of the infamous “Project 2025,” which lays out a detailed plan for a second Trump term. “It’s an agenda that serves nobody except the wealthiest and most extreme among us. It’s an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors who are in need. Is that weird? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous.”
With his direct and dynamic manner, he charmed his fans with his background as a public school teacher and defensive football coach.
“It’s the fourth quarter, we’re down a field goal, but we’re on offense, we’ve got the ball and we’re charging down the field. And boy, do we have the right team.”
Walz, a National Guard veteran and avid hunter, also addressed the pressing issue of gun control.
“I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe that our primary responsibility is to keep our children safe,” he said.
The third evening of the DNC revolved around the theme “A Fight for Our Freedoms,” with a particular focus on protecting abortion rights.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. Even though we wouldn’t make the same choices for ourselves, we have one golden rule: Mind your own damn business,” he said.
Walz argued that Democrats wanted to defend freedoms, but Republicans wanted to take them away.
“If these guys get back into the White House, they’re going to start driving up costs for the middle class. They’re going to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They’re going to gut Social Security and Medicare and they’re going to ban abortion across the country, with or without Congress,” he added.
