Vice President Kamala Harris announced today that she has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz to be her running mate for the 2024 presidential race.
In her announcement on Instagram, Harris was quick to point to Waltz’s first job: working on a farm
“He grew up in a small town in Nebraska, spending summers working on his family’s farm,” posted Harris. “His father died of cancer when he was 19, and his family relied on Social Security survivor benefit checks to make ends meet. At 17, he enlisted in the National Guard, serving for 24 years. He used his GI Bill benefits to go to college, and become a teacher. He served as both the football coach and the advisor of the Gay-Straight Alliance.”
The Vice President explained that his résumé played a significant role in her choice to run with Walz.
“I share this background both because it’s impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record,” she wrote. “He worked with Republicans to pass infrastructure investments. He cut taxes for working families. He passed a law to provide paid family and medical leave to Minnesotan families.”
Indeed, Walz’s upbringing and early career differentiates him from the rest of leaders involved in the 2024 presidential race. Walz is the first Democratic vice-presidential pick since 1964 who did not go to law school. And while Republican vice-presidential pick JD Vance has been criticized for exaggerating his rural “hillbilly” roots—as Tracy Moore writes, Vance “cosplayed the role from the suburbs of Ohio”—Walz grew up in rural Nebraska, often working on a farm
Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, a town of roughly 3,500 people approximately 60 miles northwest of Omaha. His family lived in several small towns across the state including Butte, Nebraska, which has a population of less than 300 people, where Walz attended high school.
The Governor says he spent his summers working on a farm. Last year, Walz revisited his family’s farm. “Visited the family farm in Butte, Nebraska, saw some old high school buddies, and stopped by Pancake Days. All in all, a top-notch weekend,” he posted on X.
Walz then served in the national guard and worked as a high school teacher before becoming a Congressman. While serving in the House of Representatives, Walz was a member of the House Agriculture Committee from 2007 until he became Governor in 2019. During this time, Walz was involved in drafting and passing the 2008, 2014, and 2018 farm bills.
As Governor, Walz has launched several new initiatives for farmers such as a new assistance program to help new and young farmers get started on owning a farm. This program will provide tax credits to those who rent or sell farmland, equipment, livestock, and other agricultural assets to new farmers; financial planning services to new farmers; and down payment assistance grants up to $15,000 for qualified farmers purchasing their first farm.
“Minnesota is built on agriculture. We rely on our farmers to feed our families and drive the economy and it is vital that we support our farmers and create opportunities for new folks to enter the occupation, especially amid difficult times,” said Walz in July 2024. “I am grateful for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for their work ensuring that new farmers and rural communities can thrive.”
