by Teresa Boudreaux
Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz drew heavily on his Midwestern roots in a closing speech on the third night of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, painting the Harris-Walz card as pro-class, pro-freedom and pro-neighbor.
The evening, titled “Fighting for Our Freedoms,” also featured speakers from former President Bill Clinton, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, star Oprah Winfrey and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who addressed issues including the environment, access to abortion and gun violence.
“That’s a big part of what this election is about: freedom. When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean the government should be free to come into your doctor’s office, corporations should be free to pollute your air and water, and banks should be free to exploit customers,” Walz said. “But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to create a better life for yourself and the people you love, the freedom to make your own health care decisions. And yes, the freedom for your child to go to school without fear of being shot in the hallway.”
Walz began by thanking Harris and President Joe Biden for “four years of historic leadership” and referenced his own history of serving in the National Guard for 24 years and working as a high school teacher and coach. But Walz was broadlyrhymed over distortedbased on his military history and coaching experience.
Walz also spent 12 years in Congress and was twice elected governor of Minnesota, where he supported expanding abortion access, taxpayer-funded school lunches for all students and signed a bill allowing minors who identify as transgender to receive puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgery.
“While other states have banned books from their schools, we’ve banished hunger from ours. We’ve also protected reproductive freedom because in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. And even if we didn’t make those same choices for ourselves, we have a golden rule: Mind your own damn business,” Walz told a cheering crowd Wednesday.
Although Walz has advocated for respecting personal choices, he has been criticized for, among other things, COVID-19-era restrictions on individuals and diminutive businesses that have led to massive job losses and student learning loss.
Walz also addressed Project 2025, arguing that the next Trump administration would implement radical proposals that the Republican candidate denies supporting.
“Some people just don’t understand what it takes to be a good neighbor. Take Donald Trump and J.D. Vance — their Project 2025 is going to make life a lot harder for people who are just trying to live their lives,” Walz said. “And we know that if these people get back in the White House, they’re going to start raising costs for the middle class, they’re going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they’re going to gut Social Security and Medicare and they’re going to ban abortion nationwide.”
Trump has repeatedly denied all of these claims, pointing to 40 years of high inflation under the Biden-Harris administration that continues to hurt middle-class families, saying he would protect Social Security and Medicare benefits despite record-high deficit spending under the current administration, and letting states decide their own abortion policies. Trump’s vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, denied all of Walz’s claims in an interview with Fox News after the speech.
In contrast to Trump’s agenda, which Walz called “strange, misguided and dangerous,” the North Star state governor portrayed Harris as a candidate who embodies and supports middle-class and Midwestern values.
“If you’re a middle-class family or a family trying to get into the middle class, Kamala Harris will lower your taxes. If you’re being squeezed by prescription drug prices, Kamala Harris will take on Big Pharma. If you’re hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris will help make it more affordable,” Walz said. “And no matter who you are, Kamala Harris will stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life you want to live. Because that’s what we want for ourselves and that’s what we want for our neighbors.”
Critics note that housing prices have risen sharply under the Biden-Harris administration, and interest rates on mortgages, auto loans and credit card debt are much higher than under Trump.
Walz has been endorsed by influential pro-LGBT organizations, including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. He has also been endorsed by more than 25 Minnesota labor unions.
If Walz were to become vice president, he would become the third in the line of vice presidents from Minnesota. Hubert Humphrey served under Lyndon B. Johnson, and Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter.
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Thérèse Boudreaux is a trainee journalist covering Michigan and Wisconsin. Central Squareunder Midwest Regional Editor J.D. Davidson. Her work focuses on election-related news in those two states. She previously interned at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Thérèse graduated with a degree in political science from Hillsdale College in May 2024, where she pursued award-winning broadcast journalism.
Photo “Tim Walz” by Tim Waltz. Cover photo “DNC Convention” by Democratic Party.
