V.P. nominee Tim Walz with Kouri Marshall (Photo Provided).
Earlier this month, Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris announced the selection of her running mate: Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
There were quite a few schools of thought about who Vice President Harris should select for this all-important role. The final top contenders included Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and my former boss, our Gov. JB Pritzker.
Proposed strategies included a Western-centered ticket featuring a renowned astronaut with Senator Kelly and a Pennsylvania-focused plan with Gov. Shapiro.
But ultimately, V.P. Harris chose a former school teacher from the Midwest, and I, for one, could not be more excited about this pick!
While on a work trip in Minnesota, I had the honor of having dinner with Vice Presidential nominee Walz and his wife, Gwen. Over dinner, the governor and I discussed the power and importance of technology in our lives and world and how it can help students learn more effectively and reach their full potential.
The governor was emphatic in his belief that technology can truly make a difference for students, particularly those in traditionally disadvantaged communities who do not always have access to computers, smartphones and other high-tech devices.
In our conversation, it was clear that the educator in Walz informed the legislator in a sincere and actionable way that went way beyond any carefully crafted talking point.
Talking about education, it was clear to me that this was way more than political lip service for this public servant—it was a calling. One that I am confident he will continue to pursue passionately as our next Vice President.
During our conversation, Gwen Walz told me that the couple took out a second mortgage on their home to pay for Tim’s first congressional campaign. They bet their financial future on the outcome of that campaign.
As someone who has been on both sides of that equation, managing candidates and being a candidate myself, I know firsthand that such an action is truly an act of faith.
It displays a willingness to take risks to pursue that path of public service. And that truly takes courage, the courage that will be needed to take on a bully and a demagogue like Donald Trump (and his accomplice, JD Vance), to save our democracy.
Speaking of faith, the Walzs both talked a lot about their faith in God and how it has guided their shared journey in this arena. As a man of faith married to a woman equally committed to these beliefs who, unlike Vance, actually follows Christianity in how we treat others, this was especially inspiring to me.
I came away from that conversation convinced that the Walzs’ faith guides them in their public service in a sincere and actionable way, one that actually makes a positive difference in the lives of others, particularly the less fortunate among us.
For example, Gov. Tim Walz promoted and later signed legislation ensuring free lunch for Minnesota’s underprivileged students.
While people like Trump and JD Vance would seemingly instead let these children go without just because their families are not well off financially, people like Gov. Walz were there to advocate for their well-being and a brighter future for them through his investment in education in the state (and on a national level, during his time as Congressman).
Another anecdote from our dinner I will never forget is when Gwen Walz shared with me that she loves sneaking into the grocery store whenever she can. She and Tim love being around people and don’t like having others do basic things like grocery shopping for them.
With him being selected as the vice-president nominee, unplanned trips to the grocery store will most likely be an even rarer occurrence for this down-to-earth Heartland pair.
It’s yet another example of why, unlike Trump and JD Vance, whom Gov. Walz so accurately described as just “weird,” we can count on them to work for us. That “us,” of course, includes those of us in the Black community.
The Harris-Walz ticket promotes policies that will help our communities, such as investments in education, affordable housing, health care, student loan reform, the protection of reproductive rights and the defense of civil rights, including our voting rights.
Meanwhile, Trump-Vance seeks to actively dismantle all of these things through Project 2025, all while Trump and Vance won’t even acknowledge the top of our ticket as a Black woman, seeking to erase her identity the same way they seek to erase our rights, our livelihoods and our democracy.
I am fortunate to have gotten to know Tim and Gwen Walz for the time I did. As a Black American, a Midwestern American, and an American in general, I could not be prouder or more excited to do everything in my power to help elect the Harris-Walz ticket this November.
My wife and I are already making plans to knock on doors, and we may even take our six-month-old son with us!
By helping to elect this ticket, we will make an important investment in his future.
I hope you will join us.
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