Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate. Here's a look at Walz's track record on healthcare.
Walz, 60, was first elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018. Prior to this tenure, the former National Guard member and high school educator served six terms in Congress as a member of the House. During that time, he represented a rural part of Minnesota that had .
In Congress, Walz took up issues affecting veterans, including mental health and pain management, . For instance, he research on the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis in treating veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.
Walz has also sided with reproductive rights and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
In April 2023, as Governor of Minnesota, Walz protecting individuals in the state, banning the practice of conversion therapy, and protecting people seeking or providing .
"Today, we're protecting the rights of Minnesotans and making sure our state remains a place where people have the freedom to get the care they need to live their fullest lives," Walz stated at the time. "We're also protecting young and vulnerable Minnesotans from the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy. We're putting up a firewall to ensure Minnesotans have the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions."
Additionally, during his tenure as Governor, Walz universal free meals for students.
Recently, speaking on CNN, Walz responded to additional criticisms that some may view him as being too liberal, .
"What a monster!" Walz reportedly quipped. "Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own healthcare decisions. ... So, if that's where they want to label me, I'm more than happy to take the label."
He has also pushed for 100% clean electricity in Minnesota by 2040, as well as created a statewide paid leave program, legalized marijuana for adults, and passed stricter gun laws, .
And back in 2020, Walz aimed at providing relief to Minnesotans struggling to afford their insulin.
Walz relied on emergency powers to lead the state's COVID response and received criticism and pushback from Republicans regarding nursing home deaths in the state and shutdown orders that affected businesses and schools, according to the Star-Tribune.
Federal prosecutors also charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz's watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it's one of the country's . The Office of the Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog, delivered a in June that said Walz's Department of Education "failed to act on warning signs," did not effectively exercise its authority, and was ill-prepared to respond.
Walz won reelection in 2022 by nearly 8 percentage points over his GOP challenger, physician and vaccine skeptic Scott Jensen, MD. Not only did Walz win, Democrats kept control of the House and flipped the Senate to win the "trifecta" of full control of both chambers and the governor's office for the first time in 8 years. A big reason was the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, which held that the Constitution doesn't include a right to abortion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.