CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night to accept the vice presidential nomination to make the case for how his coaching and teaching past can help the Democrats cultivate a winning message.
Traditionally, nominees are introduced by close friends, family or colleagues. Minnesota U.S Sen. Amy Klobuchar seemed to be taking that job Wednesday as she reminisced on her work with Walz, but when she exited the stage, Ben Ingram, a former student and football player for Walz, walked out.
The appearance marked a shift from Walz the governor to Walz the football coach, Walz the teacher and Walz the Midwestern dad.
Ingram sang his praise of Walz’s leadership in taking the 0-27 Mankato West High School football team to state champions within three years.
Then, building on the pep-rally feeling, Ingram was joined on stage by that championship team, now middle-aged men, dressed with their jerseys over their dress shirts. The Mankato West fight song echoed around the arena as Ingram introduced Walz.
That pep-rally feeling extended across all four days of the DNC. A major theme of this convention has been joy, with speakers talking about leading with joy rather than hate, and continuing the “good vibes” that have surrounded Harris’ candidacy over the past month. Walz, as a jovial Midwesterner, added to that feeling.
Democrats are banking on his background in teaching and support for free school lunches to cultivate an image of a friendly Midwestern everyman who cares deeply about children, an ideal that ties in to the convention’s focus on the future.
“That's what this is all about, the responsibility we have to our kids,” Walz said Wednesday night. “That's how we make America the place where no child is left behind.”
When first running for Congress, Walz said he was an underdog. But his students and community rallied to support him and he ended up flipping a seat.
“I was a 40-something, no money [candidate] running in a deep red district,” he said. “But you know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher.”
Around the room, delegates waved signs reading “Coach Walz,” the moniker the Harris-Walz campaign has been using for the Minnesota governor.
Walz leaned into his coaching past, and his remarks did not shy away from football metaphors. When Walz spoke on the danger posed by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the bogeyman that has hovered over this convention, he fully embraced them.
“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it,” he said.
In the final minutes of his speech, “Coach” Walz brought the audience into the locker room with him to deliver a halftime pep talk that garnered huge cheers.
“We’ve got 76 days [left in the election],” Walz told the crowd. “That's nothing. There’ll be time to sleep when you’re dead.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night on the fourth and final day of the convention. Other speakers include Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Annika Bereny is a Senior Staff Writer and the former Special Pages Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth for state and campus news. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
