By Kate Scanlon
(OSV News) — Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., pledged a “commitment to the common good,” in remarks to the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21 as he formally accepted his party’s nomination for vice president.
Vice President Kamala Harris – -who secured her party’s nomination for president shortly after President Joe Biden’s historic announcement in July that he would end his own reelection bid and endorse her — selected Walz as her running mate earlier in August.
Walz thanked Harris for the opportunity and argued “we have the right team” to deliver on policy items like gun violence prevention, cutting taxes for the middle class, lowering the costs of prescription drugs and housing, and reducing hunger, touting his own efforts to do that as governor.
Walz, a former public school teacher, a former member of the Army National Guard and a former Minnesota representative in the U.S. House, was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022. In his official biography, Walz’s website highlights his efforts on issues such as providing free school lunches and some paid family leave, but also efforts to expand legal protections for abortion.
During his speech, Walz reiterated his support for abortion protections by arguing that decisions surrounding fertility are personal and said he and his wife struggled with infertility.
“If you’ve never experienced the hell that is infertility, I guarantee you (that) you know somebody who has, and I can remember praying each night for a phone call, the pit in your stomach when the phone rang, and the absolute agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked,” he said. “It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments, and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope.”
While Walz has been a proponent of IVF, he and his wife reportedly had children through another common fertility procedure called intrauterine insemination, or IUI.
“When Republicans use the word ‘freedom,’ they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office, corporations free to pollute your air and water and banks free to take advantage of customers,” Walz continued. “But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean … freedom to make your own health care decisions, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot.”
During his speech, Walz’s family appeared overcome with emotion, and his son Gus Walz was seen saying “that’s my dad!”
In an unsigned press statement, former President Donald Trump’s campaign said Harris and Walz have yet to make many of their policy positions clear.
“Walz didn’t offer a single plan to fix Kamala’s inflation crisis, end Kamala’s border crisis, or settle the wars popping up all across the world,” the statement said.
Other speakers the same evening included former talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former President Bill Clinton.