Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his acceptance speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention after earning the party's vice presidential nomination.
It will be by far the largest audience Walz has reached during his political career, after his vice presidential nomination launched him into the national spotlight.
His speech comes on the same night as former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg take the United Center stage in Chicago.
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Walz's selection by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate surprised some as he didn't carry the same national name recognition that others have. He also comes from a state that has voted for Democratic candidates in every presidential election cycle since 1992.
Wednesday's speech allows Walz to introduce himself to millions of Americans who may know little about the Minnesota governor. A poll from the Washington Post and Ipsos released in recent days shows that 31% of Americans have "no opinion" on Walz. The same poll showed that 39% of voters have a favorable impression of him, compared to 30% who have an unfavorable opinion.
Sam Woodward, USA Today's Minnesota elections reporting fellow, said residents in the state have a favorable opinion of Walz, as evidenced by his winning back-to-back gubernatorial elections.
"He's been our governor since 2018 but having this national spotlight on him has really been exciting to people not only in Minneapolis but across the state," she said. "I hear a lot of, 'Well now I have to share him with the rest of the country.' So you know if you see on social media these memes going viral about how silly of a person he is and how he kind of represents this Midwestern dad, it's because he is a Midwestern dad and because he was a football coach and a teacher."
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Woodward expects Walz's speech will focus on undecided voters.
"It's gonna be his introduction to the rest of the country, the party and making those very direct appeals to those middle-of-the-road voters," she said.
Woodward noted that when Walz began his political career by winning a congressional seat in 2006, he knocked off a Republican incumbent, and took a more moderate stance. But in his time as governor, Walz advanced more progressive policies that might raise question marks with right-leaning and independent voters.
"He's been described as a political chameleon," she said. "At the start of his political career, he ran and won in an extremely historically red district. So he ran as a Democrat and he was able to win reelection six times. So during his time in Congress, he was more moderate of a liberal, but during his time as governor in Minnesota, specifically the 2023 legislative session when he had a Democratic trifecta, his people had all of the control."
"They passed massive sweeping legislation for progressive policy," Woodward continued. "Whether this be granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, protecting abortion rights in the state, making Minnesota a sanctuary state for reproductive rights, these are all things that Republicans and moderates are looking at."
