Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wasn’t exactly a household name before Kamala Harris kicked off her search for a running mate in late July, but after only a few short days in the national spotlight, the 60-year-old became something of an internet sensation.
In the weeks after President Joe Biden handed his reelection campaign over to Harris, Walz (pronounced “Walls”) was one of several names being bandied about as a potential Democratic running mate. As his national profile rose, so, too, did his number of television appearances — and with them, an increase in clicks and shares of now-viral moments.
Soon, he moved from a long-shot VP hopeful to the apparent fan favorite on Harris’ shortlist, ultimately surpassing her rumored front-runner, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and earning the nomination.
STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty; Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Walz — a former teacher, national guardsman and high school football coach — entered politics in 2006, successfully running for the U.S. House as a Democrat in a historically Republican district. He spent 12 years in the House before winning the Minnesota gubernatorial race in 2018 and getting reelected four years later.
While campaigning for Harris in recent weeks, Walz put his rural charm on display to lay out his party’s vision in a plain-speaking manner, leading New York Times columnist Ezra Klein to dub him “the Midwestern dad Democrats need.” He was trending on social media the night before Harris revealed her running mate — the result of new Walz fans openly begging for him to be the pick.
Below, five of Walz’s most viral moments in recent weeks that just might’ve earned him a spot on the ballot.
‘These Are Weird People’
In an appearance on MSNBC, Walz called the men on the Republican White House ticket “weird people,” coining a phrase that has since caught on among many Democrats.
“These are weird people on the other side,” he said. “They want to take books away, they want to be in your exam room. That’s what it comes down to and don’t sugarcoat this: These are weird ideas.”
Walz has repeated the line since it caught on, saying in another public appearance, “These guys are just weird… look, are they a threat to democracy? Yes. Are they going to take our rights away? Yes. Are they going to put people’s lives in danger? Yes.”
Speaking to Ezra Klein in a podcast interview, Walz said that his usage of the word was meant as a reference to Donald Trump, and not to Republicans as a whole, saying, “It’s the emperor wearing no clothes, is all this story is — this guy’s weird stories and inability to connect like a human being.What happened was, the minute that spell came down, the minute everybody in the crowd realized the emperor wasn’t wearing any clothes, we can sweep in and say, ‘Who’s asking to ban birth control? Who’s asking to ban these books? Who’s asking to take veterans’ benefits away?’ ”
He continued: “And ‘weird’ is specific to him. I’m certainly not talking about Republicans. I’m not talking about the people who are at those rallies. I’m hearing this from my Republican friends, because the people at those rallies, they’re the ones that can most benefit from the message we’re delivering.”
‘Turkey’s Special’
In a video posted to his own X profile in 2023, Walz shared footage of him and his daughter, Hope, at the Minnesota State Fair. In the video, the governor suggests that they get corn dogs after they ride “the Slingshot.”
“I’m vegetarian,” Hope says.
“Turkey then,” Walz responds.
When Hope reminds him that “turkey’s meat,” Walz shoots back, “Not in Minnesota, turkey’s special.”
The clip caught on as soon as it resurfaced in July, partly because of the banter he and Hope exchanged — in which he expresses the stereotypical Midwest attitude toward vegetarianism — and partly for his laughter when the video shows him getting catapulted into the air on the roller coaster.
‘Social Security Was the Boots’
Speaking to MSNBC’s Jen Psaki about Trump’s vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, Walz said that Republicans like Vance “scream socialism” when they warn about the liberal agenda, before asserting that Democrats “just build roads, and we build schools, and we build prosperity into this.”
He then launched into a sharp critique of the Republican ticket that previewed how he would fight for rural Americans’ trust on the campaign trail.
Walz sarcastically said that unlike “super successful Donald Trump, who inherited $400 million and proceeded to fail at everything,” Middle Americans work hard.
He added that people can’t always do it on their own, though, and shared that he and his brother were teenagers when their father died, forcing the family into survival mode as they collected Social Security Survivor Benefit checks.
“I’m all for pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. We didn’t have any boots,” Walz said. “Social Security was the boots, and we pulled ourselves up and we paid it back. And I think J.D. Vance gets none of that. it’s the, ‘Aw shucks, I’m from here,’ or whatever.
“My Hillbilly cousins did not go to Yale, but I’ll tell you what they did: they contributed to their community, and they’re proud of it,” Walz added — a reference to Vance’s education and his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.
‘What a Monster!’
In another viral clip, CNN host Jake Tapper told Walz that Republicans will try to attack his record if he is selected as Harris’ running mate. Tapper then asked Walz how he would respond if Republicans criticized him for legalizing recreational marijuana, expanding LGBTQ+ protections and offering free breakfast and lunch for school children.
“What a monster!” Walz jokingly responded. “Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn, and women are making their own health care decisions, and we’re a top five business state. We also rank in the top three of happiness.”
Brushing aside the idea that he should be concerned about his record, Walz added, “So yea, my kids are gonna eat here, and you’re gonna have a chance to go to college, and you’re gonna have an opportunity to live where we’re working on reducing carbon emissions — oh and by the way, you’re going to have personal incomes that are higher and you’re going to have health insurance.”
“If that’s what they want to label me, I’m more than happy to take the label,” he concluded.
‘I Bought an Air Filter For My Furnace’
A number of moments have helped cement Walz’s reputation as a typical Midwestern dad — a guy intent on just fixing things up (often quite literally, with some photos showing him looking inside the hood of a car).
In one surfaced interview, Walz was asked about the last thing he got to do as a normal citizen, “truly out in the public, and truly by yourself.”
After pausing briefly, he offered his answer: “I went to Menards [a midwestern hardware store chain] and bought an air filter for my furnace.”
