Walzing on sunshine: How Tim Walz's upbeat demeanor got him on the Kamala Harris ticket

MINNEAPOLIS — When Vice President Kamala Harris took the Democratic baton and had just two weeks to pick her running mate, there was no shortage of qualified contenders. Lining up for consideration were an astronaut senator from Arizona, a dynamic swing state governor from Pennsylvania, and an election-winning red-state national newcomer from Kentucky.

Instead, Harris chose a smiling political pugilist from the upper Midwest.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's grounded character and amiability won over the newly minted Democratic nominee and he made a triumphant debut as Harris' vice presidential pick in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Beyond his record of progressive policy wins and leadership experience, Walz's enthusiastic nature and rapport with Harris set him apart from the crowd of VP contenders, a person familiar with his selection told USA TODAY.

“He's the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong, and then inspires them to dream big,” Harris said. “And that's the kind of vice president he will be, and that's the kind of vice president America deserves.”

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At a joint campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisc., Harris touted the new pair as "joyful warriors" in an energized campaign that stands apart from both President Joe Biden's compartively lackluster operation before he dropped out of the race, and what critics say is the rambling, pessimistic tone of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

That's partly thanks to Walz, say those who know him, describing a perpetually upbeat communicator who's not afraid to get his hands dirty.

In the few days since he was named Harris' pick, jokes about the former school teacher's Minnesota niceties have ricocheted around the internet.

The governor − now the Democratic ticket's chief attack dog against Donald Trump − lives up to the nice guy accusations, colleagues and former students say.

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Stubborn roots in the classroom

Walz's introduction to politics didn't come from law school or a seat on a small city council. It started with being denied entry to a campaign rally.

In 2004, Walz took two children of other teachers to see a rally by President George W. Bush in Mankato, Minn., where they were turned away. Reasons for their denial vary.

Walz said in 2020 the students were denied entry because they had volunteered for the Democratic party, though it's unclear how that was discovered. Local reporting from local Minnesota news station Fox 9 claims that one of the children was identified as a Democrat because they were wearing a sticker for Bush's opponent, John Kerry.

Walz said he pushed back on their dismissal but was ultimately rejected. Two years later, he ran on bipartisan cooperation for Congress in a district that hadn't voted Democratic since the 19th century.

Angie Brunner, 40, remembers her junior year geography teacher, "Mr. Walz," as passionate and kind, but also blissfully stubborn, she told USA TODAY. Brunner has a clear memory of a minutes-long standoff Walz had with another student.

The student "had his hands in his pocket, very much like, 'I'm done with this man'" she said, "And I just remember the smile on his face," she said of Walz. "He was like 'We're gonna connect here son, whether you like it or not.'"

The brush lasted past the class bell, Brunner said, but Walz was determined to reach all of his pupils. "He would do that with students until they were forced to care," she said. "He would do it with a laugh."

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Michael Sipe taught with Walz in the social studies department at Mankato West High School and said disagreeing with his fellow educator's politics didn't mean despising him.

"If you know Tim, you like Tim, you don't always agree with him, but you like the guy," he told USA TODAY.

Walz is known in his home state for not using a teleprompter during addresses, one example, Sipe said, of his real guy bona fides.

Walz had the politician's gift of making everyone he encountered feel special. "When he talked to you, even if you were in a crowded setting, you were the only person in the room he was talking to," Sipe said. "Everyone felt valued with Tim."

'What a gift'

Justin Smith only had to tell Walz his name once — he hasn't forgotten it since.

The 26-year-old disability activist and writer has cerebral palsy and uses a communication device to speak. He told USA TODAY that every time he attends an event featuring the governor, Walz makes an effort to greet him.

"Can you image how that makes someone feel when they get noticed like this?" Smith said. "He never talks down to me and he treats me with respect."

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The two met when Smith was a state delegate for Walz's 2018 gubernatorial campaign and they often discuss accessibility issues. "He makes me feel that I have a seat at the table," Smith said. "I can make my voice heard about issues that matter to people with disabilities... What a gift."

Jason Bauman and Jared Stene were Winona State University students when they volunteered for Walz's first congressional campaign in 2006. Right off the bat, Bauman told USA TODAY, Walz came across as charismatic, giving off "friendly dad" and "good vibes," that even Republicans responded to.

In 2007 during Walz's freshman year in the House, 22-year-old Stene unexpectedly passed away. To Bauman's surprise, the then-congressman attended the funeral, unannounced, nearly 100 miles away from his district.

A year later, Walz took to the House floor to remember Stene and his work advocating for transparency in textbook pricing.

"For Walz to show up at the funeral and then even mention his name to Congress just shows how much of a genuine, down-to-earth guy he is," Bauman said.

Political teeth, with a smile

Ken Martin was running then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign in Minnesota when he got a call from a disgruntled teacher. He had been denied entry to a Bush rally and wanted to make his first steps into politics.

Martin, now chairman of the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, made Walz the chair of the Veterans for Kerry campaign, "and the rest is history" he said.

Now serving his second term, Walz enjoys a Democratic trifecta with his party in control of both the state house and senate. Despite a successful run passing a historic progressive agenda that included codifying reproductive rights into law and universal school meals, his time in office has also been marked by state and nationwide distress.

In managing the uprising following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, in addition to the coronavirus pandemic, Martin said in 2020, Walz worked to lead "difficult conversations with joy and optimism." From the White House, even Donald Trump praised his handling of the George Floyd unrest, though Republicans now say he allowed the violence to flourish.

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Walz isn't the first soldier of good vibes for a VP ticket — he isn't even the first from Minnesota.

Hubert Humphrey, who served as veep under President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, was called the "Happy Warrior" for a similarly upbeat demeanor. Martin said bringing joy back to politics, like Humphrey did, is a staple of how Walz conducts business.

Despite his positive brand, Walz hasn't always taken the high road. On Tuesday, he mocked his opponent, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, over an obscene internet meme at his first campaign rally with Harris. And he hasn't shied away from taking the fight to former President Trump in a race that pollsters say is tied nationally.

Whether Walz's positive demeanor will hold up in the remaining weeks of the newly energized Democratic campaign is yet to be seen.

"I do think it helps you win elections, but I also think it helps you govern," Martin said. "I think it's one of the great reasons he was put on the ticket."

— Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA Today. You can reach her atswoodward@gannett.com, on X @woodyreports, or on Threads @samjowoody