What is Tim Walz’s ethnicity?

Tim Walz successfully flew under the national radar for nearly six years after he was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018. The former teacher and National Guardsman became America’s fun uncle after he defended Kamala Harris’ campaign from attack — kicking off the now-infamous chants of “weird” — before being thrust into the spotlight as her choice for VP and being upgraded to “America’s Dad.”  

Joining one of the most progressive tickets in history, Walz has become public fascination number one. As the nation tries to unpack what the Minnesotan is all about, people are asking all kinds of questions and speculating on who exactly this white guy is.

What ethnicity is Tim Walz?

Like most Midwesterners, Tim Walz is your average white dude. But unlike the opposition’s presidential pick, he isn’t decrepit and out of touch. His great-great-grandfather emigrated to America in 1867 from Kuppenheim, a small town in the district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Walz is practically the physical manifestation of undeniable Midwest American Charm. From his love of corndogs to his insistence that his vegetarian daughter can eat turkey because in Minnesota, “Turkey’s special,” he embodies the friendly disposition of the region.

Born in the rural town of West Point, Nebraska to a homemaker mother and a teacher father, Walz spent his youth in the Cornhusker state. For anyone not in the know, the state’s motto until recently was simply, “Nice,” and Walz certainly seems to carry that principle with him. After joining the Nation Guard and accessing the G.I. Bill to attend college, he earned his teaching certificate alongside a degree in Social Science. He went into teaching, the same as his father, who died of brain cancer before Walz was 20.

Walz spent a year teaching in China before accepting a teaching position in his home state. By the late 90s, he and his wife, Gwen Whipple, relocated to Minnesota, where they have remained ever since. Even his reasons for getting into politics are giving incredibly wholesome dad vibes.

Walz might not add any diversity to the ticket in terms of race or religion, but luckily for Americans concerned about that sort of thing, Kamala Harris and the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, check enough boxes for the whole ticket.