CHICAGO — Recent polling suggests a healthy percentage of Americans don't know a whole lot about Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, something he will try to change when he takes the stage Wednesday at the DNC in Chicago.
The Speech
Walz will have the headlining spot for Day 3, following former president Bill Clinton. There is little doubt it is the biggest moment of his political career.
A preview from the Harris-Walz campaign says the address will serve as an introduction to the American people, highlighting Walz's small town experience growing up in Nebraska, his time as a teacher and coach in Mankato and 24-year career as a citizen solider in the Minnesota National Guard.
The campaign says Walz will focus on what he and Vice President Harris will do for working families.
The Introduction
Two produced videos will try to delve below the surface to show voters who Walz really is. The first features five former students who talk about how Walz, as a teacher, changed their lives.
Mankato West grads Nate Hood, 2002 graduating class; Sarah Manes (1999), Josh Jagdfeld (2001), Jacob Reitan (2000), Kent Wawrzynaik (1998), and Blake Frink (2001). They experienced the governor in many roles - social studies teacher, coach, set builder for student plays or faculty advisor for the Gay Straight Alliance - but impacted them all in a meaningful way.
The second video highlights Walz's military service and commitment to improving the lives of veterans and their families.
It features Sgt. Al Bonnifield, who speaks of the nine years he served with the governor in the Minnesota National Guard. Corporal Mike McLaughlin, a veteran of the war in Iraq, also speaks about working with then-Congressman Walz to improve and then pass the "Forever GI Bill." The legislation marked the largest expansion to veterans' educational benefits in decades.
Accepting the Nomination
Walz will be officially nominated by his longtime friend Senator Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ingman, a former student and neighbor of the governor who Walz coached in both basketball and track. Ben will be joined on stage by former Mankato West football players and their head coach, Rick Sutton, who Walz worked under as an assistant.
Why tonight is important for Walz
While well-known and well-liked by Democrats in Minnesota, recent polling indicates Walz has some work to do when it comes to his national profile. Numbers released by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found 4 in 10 Americans don’t know enough about Walz to have an opinion about him.
The poll also reflects that many coalitions key to the Democratic ticket still don’t know much about Walz. About 4 in 10 women don’t know enough to have an opinion of him, and about 4 in 10 young adults under age 45 say the same.
About half of Black adults and roughly 4 in 10 Hispanic adults don’t know enough to say whether they like him, either. Many lower-income adults and those without college degrees also don’t have a view of Walz.