2024 Election Guide
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LINCOLN, NE – The Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb issues the following statement on Vice President Kamala Harris selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was born and raised in Nebraska, as her running mate:
“Tim Walz spent some of his childhood years in Valentine, Nebraska. A small rural town known for hearts on the sidewalks. Those hearts never left Walz as America witnessed when kids bear-hugged him after signing universal school breakfast and lunch into law as governor of Minnesota. Tim Walz brings real and deep experiences in rural towns, veteran communities, and of course with teachers. Walz has an ability to make us all want to fall in love with our politics again because he believes in the reality of being in politics to change people’s lives. Rural America is having our moment being represented on the national stage with heart, joy and showing the nation what it means to care about our neighbors.”
Additionally, Chair Jane Kleeb is one of the hosts of the Rural For Harris call happening tonight, August 6 at 7 pm CT. Gov. Walz is still expected to be on the call. RSVP for the call: rural4harris.com/rsvp
Background
Born, raised, and worked in rural Nebraska (West Point, Valentine, Butte, Chadron, Alliance), Governor Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st Governor. His career has been defined by public service, from serving our country in the military to serving our students as a high-school teacher and football coach to serving our state in Congress.
Gov. Walz comes back home to Nebraska often, serving as a keynote speaker at the Ben Nelson Gala in 2023 (see photo album).
Tim’s parents instilled in him the values that guide his commitment to common good and selfless service. Soon after his high school graduation, Tim enlisted in the Army National Guard. He attended Chadron State College and graduated with a social science degree in 1989. Harvard University offered Tim an opportunity to gain a new perspective on global education by teaching in the People’s Republic of China from 1989 to 1990, where he joined one of the first government-approved groups of American teachers to work in Chinese high schools. Upon his return from China, Tim served full-time in the Army National Guard and accepted a teaching and coaching position in Alliance, Nebraska. More importantly, this is where Walz met his future wife, Gwen Whipple, who was teaching at the same school.
Tim and Gwen Walz moved to Mankato in 1996, where they began working at Mankato West High School. In addition to teaching social studies, Tim helped coach the Mankato West football team that won the school’s first state championship. After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005.
Tim won his first election to the United States House of Representatives in 2006 and was re-elected for another five terms serving Minnesota’s First Congressional District. In addition to his work on the Farm Bill, the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, Minnesota Highway 14, and the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Preston, Minnesota, Tim introduced the STOCK Act, a bill that sought to limit congressional insider trading. On March 22, 2012, the STOCK Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
After years of living in Mankato, Tim and Gwen moved to St. Paul with their two children, Hope and Gus, and their rescue dog and cat, Scout and Afton.