Timothy James Walz is an American politician and retired educator.
41 Facts About Tim Walz
2.
Tim Walz later graduated from Chadron State College and Minnesota State University, Mankato.
3.
Tim Walz was the US representative for from 2007 to 2019.
4.
Tim Walz was first elected in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht.
5.
Tim Walz represented a large, mostly rural section of southern Minnesota situated along the border with Iowa.
6.
On November 6,2018, Tim Walz was elected governor, defeating the Republican nominee, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.
7.
Tim Walz was reelected in the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election, defeating Republican nominee Scott Jensen.
8.
The son of a public school administrator and community activist, Tim Walz was raised in Chadron, Nebraska, a rural community in the northwestern portion of the state.
9.
Tim Walz graduated from Butte High School in a class of 25 students.
10.
Tim Walz's first teaching experience was at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
11.
Tim Walz then accepted a teaching position with WorldTeach in the People's Republic of China.
12.
Tim Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and served for 24 years.
13.
Tim Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his career, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete coursework at the US Army Sergeants Major Academy.
14.
Tim Walz resumed teaching as a geography teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School.
15.
Tim Walz had no opponent for the DFL nomination in the September 12,2006 primary election.
16.
Tim Walz beat incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht in the general election on November 7, and took office on January 3,2007.
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Tim Walz packaged himself as a moderate from Day One, built an office centered on constituent service and carved out a niche as a tireless advocate for veterans.
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Tim Walz served on the House Agriculture Committee, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Armed Services Committee.
19.
Tim Walz voted against the act to Prohibit Federally Funded Abortion Services, and to advance the Affordable Care Act out of the House.
20.
Tim Walz voted to continue funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against the 2008 TARP bill, which purchased troubled assets from financial institutions.
21.
Tim Walz received single-digit ratings from the National Taxpayers' Union, Citizens against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, and Freedom Works.
22.
Tim Walz was ranked the 7th most bipartisan member of the House during the 114th Congress in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of Congress by measuring how often their bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and how often they co-sponsor bills by members of the opposite party.
23.
Tim Walz announced he would run for governor after Mark Dayton, the incumbent Democratic governor, chose not to seek a third term.
24.
On November 6,2018, Tim Walz was elected governor, defeating the Republican nominee, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.
25.
Tim Walz was sworn in as governor of Minnesota on January 7,2019, at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul.
26.
Tim Walz took the oath of office alongside incoming Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, all Democrats.
27.
Tim Walz spoke about education and healthcare reform in his inauguration speech.
28.
Tim Walz later responded to the murder by ordering the Minnesota legislature to reconvene for special sessions on legislation for police reform and accountability.
29.
Tim Walz has advocated for the legalization of recreational cannabis as governor of Minnesota.
30.
In June 2009 Tim Walz introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the federal government to "relinquish its temporary ownership interests in the General Motors Corporation and Chrysler Group, LLC, as soon as possible" and stated that the government must not be involved in those companies' management decisions.
31.
Tim Walz urged assistance for hog and dairy farmers who struggled with lower prices for their commodities in 2008 and 2009.
32.
Voting in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Tim Walz pointed to its strong provisions in support of public school buildings.
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Tim Walz is on record supporting legislation to lower tuition costs.
34.
In 2011, Tim Walz announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act.
35.
Tim Walz has championed enhanced veterans benefits since taking office in 2007.
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Tim Walz supported the GI Bill of 2008, which expanded education benefits for veterans and in some cases allowed them to transfer education benefits to family members.
37.
In 2009, Tim Walz gave the keynote address at the American Legion National Convention in Louisville.
38.
Tim Walz spoke about the need for the VA and Department of Defense to work together to make sure that returning service men and women "do not fall through the cracks when they transition to civilian life".
39.
Tim Walz was the lead House sponsor of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which directs the Veterans Administration to report on veteran mental health care and suicide prevention programs.
40.
In early 2009, Tim Walz voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
41.
Tim Walz was survived by his wife Julie, and their son Jacob, who suffered severe injuries but survived.