Tim Walz's military record: VP pick becomes nominee with longest service (2024)

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris finally ended weeks of speculation Tuesday about whom she'd select as a running mate when she picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to join the Democratic ticket.

Walz, 60, served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, which makes him the longest-serving military veteran to be a major party vice presidential nominee. Walz is going head-to-head in the vice presidential race with fellow veteran Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate. Vance served in the Marines Corps as a combat correspondent for five years.

The announcement follows weeks of speculation about whom Harris would choose when she unexpectedly became her party's presidential nominee after President Joe Biden quit the race last month amid concerns about his age and ability to win in November. Several Democrats appeared to have a chance of winning Harris' approval, but most analysts believed her choice came down to just two: Walz and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

With a little over three months to go until November's election, attention will now focus on Walz as voters and pundits comb through his background and political record.

After leaving the military, Walz worked as a public school teacher and state high school championship football coach before entering politics. He was once charged with driving under the influence, although the charges were later reduced.

Much is likely to be made of Walz's military service, and how that may resonate with voters.

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling took to X, formerly Twitter, to write: "Many followers not familiar with the military are asking me 'so what's the big deal about a command sergeant major?' Walz joined at 18 as a private. Rose through the NCO (sergeant) ranks, each requiring extreme competence at increasingly demanding jobs with more people & responsibility at every rank."

People who reach Walz's rank "know what they're doing," Hertling continued. "They uphold standards. They speak their minds to all ranks (private to generals). They're not afraid of getting bad news because they know how to fix things when they go wrong... While I don't know the details of @GovTimWalz career wearing the cloth of our country, just the fact that he volunteered to serve and wore the CSM rank tells me a lot about him."

The Trump campaign has already issued a statement dismissing Walz as someone who "pretends to support Americans in the Heartland." Trump's supporters in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have also slammed Walz, with some describing him as a radical.

Harris took to took to X to write: "I am proud to announce that I've asked Tim Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he's delivered for working families like his. It's great to have him on the team." On Instagram, she wrote that Walz's background was "impressive in his own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record."

Walz posted his own statement on X, to say: "It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris, external in this campaign. I'm all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what's possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let's get this done, folks! Join us."

A number of other presidents, vice presidents, and nominees have had military service.

The most recent presidents with military service were George H.W. Bush, who was in the Navy from 1942 until 1945 during World War II and then remained in the reserves until 1955. His son, George W. Bush, was in the Air Force from 1968 until 1974.

Republican Senator John McCain, who ran for president twice, in 2000 and 2008, is one notable veteran who served in the Navy for 22 years and was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Former President Harry Truman, who was also a vice presidential running mate under Franklin D. Roosevelt before the 1944 election (and assumed the presidency upon Roosevelt's death the following year) also had extensive military experience. He was in the National Guard from 1905 until 1911, and served again from 1917 until 1919 during which time he fought in World War I. He then joined the Officers Reserve Corps and remained a reservist—both active and then inactive—until 1953. Although he was still a reservist when he was the vice presidential pick, it nevertheless means that Walz's military career as a profession still takes the record.

Newsweek has reached out to Walz's office by email for comment.

Update, 8/6/24, 11:17 a.m. ET: This story was updated with more information and background.

Update, 8/6/24, 12:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated with more information and background.

Update, 8/6/24, 5:11 p.m. ET: This story was updated to clarify that Walz is the longest serving military veteran to be a major party vice presidential nominee.