By Daniel Payne
CNA Staff, Aug 6, 2024 / 10:30 am
Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election, the Democratic nominee for president announced on X Tuesday morning.
The vice president is scheduled to introduce Walz at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening before heading out on the campaign trail for a five-state tour of crucial swing states.
Walz has served as Minnesota’s 41st governor since 2019. He previously represented Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. Congress from 2007 until his election as governor.
Minnesota bishops react
A staunch supporter of abortion, Walz has received 100% ratings from both NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
He joked in 2018 that his views on abortion were so extremist that “Nancy Pelosi asked me if I should tone it down.”
In a statement on Tuesday after the Harris campaign’s announcement, Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) said he and MCC staff “congratulate Gov. Walz on his selection as the Democratic vice presidential nominee and assure him of our prayers.”
The statement noted that the MCC had previously worked with Walz on a state-level child tax credit as well as “promot[ing] the well-being of immigrant Minnesotans.”
Quote from head of Minnesota Catholic Conference @MNCatholicConf on Harris VP pick @GovTimWalz
— Mark Irons (@MarkIronsMedia) August 6, 2024
“We congratulate Gov. Walz on his selection as the Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee and assure him of our prayers. We are proud to have worked together with him to enact a 🧵
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“Yet, we also have had areas of strong disagreement, including protecting the innocent unborn from abortion, the protection of children from the manifestations of gender ideology, and the importance of parental rights in education,” the statement said.
“In some areas, such as religious liberty, we have appreciated his willingness to hear our concerns and change course,” it said.
“As he steps into the national spotlight, Minnesota Catholic Conference remains committed to constructive engagement with him, ensuring that Catholic perspectives are heard and respected at all levels of government.”
In addition to his pro-abortion policies, in 2023 Walz signed a Minnesota bill that banned therapists in the state from attempting to cure people of gender dysphoria. At the same time he signed a law strengthening protections for parents who allow extremist “transgender” procedures to be performed on their children.
A Lutheran and former schoolteacher, Walz has been married to his wife, Gwen, for 30 years. They share two children.
This article was updated on Aug. 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. to clarify the attribution of the statement from the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
