What are Gov. Tim Walz’s greatest professional achievements?

The Democratic ticket officially has a vice presidential pick in Tim Walz of Minnesota. The 41st Governor of the state, Walz has been a political staple for more than a decade and a half, and he’s set to take all that experience straight to the White House.

Kamala Harris selected Walz as her running mate in early August and promptly initiated a deep dive into the former representative and current governor’s background. There’s a good chunk of the nation who’ve never heard of Walz before, and they’re about to get a crash course on everything that makes him the perfect running mate for Harris.

Tim Walz’ biggest wins as a politician

Walz boasts a decorated background that includes service in the military, tenure as a high school teacher and football coach, and nearly two decades of dedicated work in the political ring. He started out as a tireless advocate for veterans, serving in the House of Representatives, and went on to earn the position of Governor of Minnesota just over ten years later.

From his very first days in Congress, Walz was making serious waves. He was behind the largest investment in public education in Minnesota’s history, and provided free lunches and breakfasts to students across the state. He was an early advocate for reproductive rights, and — long before Roe v. Wade was struck down — he earned a stellar 100% approval rating from Planned Parenthood for his work.

As Governor, Walz also forwarded efforts in public safety and worker’s rights, ensuring that employees were treated fairly by their employers, and signed the largest infrastructure bill in Minnesota’s history into law, ensuring that Minnesota’s roads, bridges, vital public resources, and veteran homes were updated, repaired, and safe to use.

That’s on top of Walz’s work to cut taxes state-wide, become a leading force in workforce development, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. All are impressive achievements, but they pale in comparison to Walz’s successful effort to expand voting rights across his state. He ensured that young people were pre-qualified to vote, secured votes for thousands of formerly incarcerated Minnesotans, and made the process of voting easier for all of his citizens.

Among his biggest victories, long term, was the bipartisan bill Walz signed aiming to lead Minnesota into a clean energy future. He hopes to see Minnesota utilize 100% clean electricity by 2040, and in 2023 alone he signed more than 40 climate initiatives into law, officially securing him as a leading force in climate control efforts.

There’s plenty more to be said on Walz’s political record, but it’s worth also taking a moment to consider the efforts his military service inspired. Following his departure from the military — he retired in 2005 as a master sergeant — Walz dedicated quite a bit of effort to veteran protection. He’s been fighting to see veterans properly respected and cared for for several decades now, and he’s received widespread praise from fellow servicemen in the process. While right-wing pundits will be quick to assert that Walz never served in combat — he didn’t, and never claimed to — they’re forgetting how important the work Walz did perform can be.

Walz recognizes that how we treat troops after they return home is just as important, if not more so, than how we treat them while deployed. He’s dedicated enormous effort to see veterans cared for, both mentally and physically, and he’s seen several major victories, including his advocacy for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

It would take another article or three to properly detail all the work Walz has done over his nearly 20 years in politics, but this breakdown should give any newcomers a good idea of who the vice presidential candidate is. He’s a caring, dedicated man who puts the needs of his constituents first, and if elected he’ll fight just as hard for the country at large as he does for his state.