Washington — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz formally accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination Wednesday, casting the final weeks before Election Day as the final minutes of a football game that will require the tough work of “blocking and tackling” to defeat former President Donald Trump.
Walz closed the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with a speech that drew on his experiences as a teacher and football coach in Minnesota.
“We have 76 days. That’s nothing. We’ll have time to sleep when we’re dead,” he told the crowd of Democratic delegates, elected officials and supporters. “We’re going to leave it all on the field. That’s how we’re going to keep moving forward. That’s how we’re going to turn the page on Donald Trump.”
Walz’s speech served as a platform for him to introduce himself to the public. He traced his rise from the small town of Butte, Nebraska, to joining the National Guard, becoming a teacher and becoming the representative of Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.
Elected governor in 2018, Walz touted his accomplishments as Minnesota’s chief executive, including passing paid family and medical leave, reducing prescription drug costs and protecting access to abortion.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices,” he said. “And even if we wouldn’t make the same choices for ourselves, we have one golden rule: Mind your own business.”
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Walz was nominated as the Democratic vice presidential nominee by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ingman, a former student who lived next door to the governor and his wife, Gwen. Walz coached him in basketball and track in seventh grade, and Ingam was soon joined on the convention stage by former football players from Mankato West High School, where Walz taught and coached.
During his speech, Walz accused Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance of pushing an agenda that would make life harder for Americans. Although Trump has distanced himself from the policy proposals outlined in Project 2025, a presidential transition initiative overseen by the Heritage Foundation, Walz compared the guide to a playbook that would be used if Trump is elected to a second term.
“This is a program that no one asked for. It’s a program that serves no one except the wealthiest and most extreme among us. And it’s a program that does nothing for our neighbors in need,” he said. “Is that weird? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous.”
Walz decried Trump’s conception of leadership and said good leaders “don’t spend all day insulting people and blaming them.”
“Leaders are doing the work,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to turn the page. So go ahead and say it with me: ‘We’re not going back!’”
He then laid out his and Harris’ agenda if elected president and vice president, which includes tax cuts for middle-class families, lower prescription drug costs and affordable housing.
“No matter who you are, Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life you want to live,” he said. “Because that’s what we want for ourselves and that’s what we want for our neighbors.”
Harris announced Walz as his running mate earlier this month after a truncated search that included several democrats key states, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
A popular two-term governor, Walz was chosen in part because of his leadership experience and policy record on key issues, including gun safety, abortion and paid leave. He served in the National Guard and was a football coach, and is a hunter and gun owner.
Walz sought to contrast his beliefs on gun ownership with those of Republicans, who have pushed back on efforts to enact new gun restrictions in the wake of mass shootings.
“I believe in the Second Amendment. But I also believe that our first responsibility is to protect our children. That’s what this is about,” he said. “The responsibility we have to our children, to each other, and to the future that we’re building together, in which everyone is free to build the kind of life that they want.”
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Walz could also help bolster support for Harris in the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Those states have historically supported Democratic candidates but went to Trump in 2016 and then Biden in 2020. Winning the trio of key states will be crucial for Harris and Walz as they seek to prevent Trump from securing a second term in November.
While Democrats have responded enthusiastically at Walz’s selection, he has to be subject to scrutiny for his military record. The Minnesota governor served honorably in the Nebraska and Minnesota Army National Guards for 24 years, but questions have been raised by conservatives about the final days of his service, including his rank and whether he retired to avoid a deployment to Iraq in 2005.
Walz rose to the rank of command sergeant major, but was demoted to master sergeant after retirement because he had not completed his courses for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, according to a CBS News review of Walz’s file and statements from the Minnesota Army National Guard.
The documents also show that Walz retired before his battalion was mobilized and deployed to Iraq. He deployed in 2003 to support Operation Enduring Freedom and was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, before returning to Minnesota in 2004. The Minnesota National Guard said the governor retired in 2005.
Republicans, including Vance, have also accused Walz of lying about having children through in vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment that has drawn considerable attention after the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. ruled in February that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.
Walz said he and his wife underwent fertility treatments for seven years before Gwen Walz became pregnant with their daughter, Hope, and he spoke about their experience in his first appearance on the campaign trail as Harris’ running mate. Harris’ campaign also said in a statement that the Walzes had their daughter “through reproductive health care such as IVF.”
But the couple now face criticism after Gwen Walz revealed this week She underwent intrauterine insemination, or IUI, a different process from IVF.
Walz spoke at the convention about his family’s experience with infertility and their decision to seek fertility treatments, saying it underscores the role freedom plays in the upcoming election.
“When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to build a better life for yourself and the people you love. The freedom to make your own health care decisions. And, yes, the freedom for your children to go to school without fear of being shot in the hallway,” he said.
James LaPorta contributed to this report.
