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Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska. After high school, he joined the Army National Guard and worked in manufacturing. 

He later graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska before moving to Minnesota in 1996. Before running for Congress, he was a high school social studies teacher and football coach. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht.

Walz was reelected to the House five times before being elected governor of Minnesota in November 2018. He was reelected governor in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Scott Jensen. During his second gubernatorial term, Walz pushed for and signed a wide range of legislation that included tax modifications, free school meals, bolstering state infrastructure, gun background checks, codifying abortion rights, and free college tuition for low-income families.On August 6, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz as her running mate in the 2024 United States presidential election.

After graduating from Chadron State College, Walz accepted a teaching position for a year with WorldTeach in China. After returning, Walz took a job teaching and coaching in Alliance, Nebraska, where he met his wife, Gwen Whipple, a fellow teacher. He and Gwen married in 1994, and moved two years later to Mankato in Minnesota, his wife’s home state, where he worked as a geography teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School. The team had lost 27 straight games when he joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach (defensive coordinator). Three years later, in 1999, the team won its first state championship. 

In 1999, Walz agreed to be the faculty advisor of the first gay–straight alliance at Mankato West High School. He and his wife also ran Educational Travel Adventures, which organized summer educational trips for high school students to China. Walz earned a Master of Science in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2001. In March 2006, Walz took a leave of absence from teaching to focus on his congressional campaign.

With his father’s encouragement, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard when he turned 17. His father had served in the Korean War and paid for his education degree with the G.I. Bill, and wanted his son to have the same opportunity.Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years after enlisting in 1981. During his military career, he had postings in Arkansas, Texas, the Arctic Circle, New Ulm, Minnesota, and elsewhere. He trained in heavy artillery. During his service, he worked in disaster response postings following floods and tornadoes and was deployed overseas. In 1989, he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year. 

He was deployed post-9/11 for half a year to Europe to support Operation Enduring Freedom. His decorations included the Army Commendation Medal and two Army Achievement Medals. Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major of his service.