CHICAGO– Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on the third night of the DNC. This is the full text of his speech:
Thank you thank you!
Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris. Thank you for your trust and for inviting me to be part of this incredible campaign. And thank you, President Joe Biden, for four years of strong, historic leadership. And it is my great honor to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States.
We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason: we love this country! So thank you to all of you here in Chicago and to everyone watching at home tonight. Thank you for your passion, thank you for your determination, and most of all, thank you for bringing joy to this fight.
I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400. There were 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale.
But I’ll tell you, growing up in a small town like this, you learn to look out for each other. The family next door may not think like you, they may not pray like you, they may not love like you, but they’re your neighbors. And you look out for them, and they look out for you. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone has a responsibility to do their part. For me, that was serving in the Army National Guard. I joined two days after my 17th birthday, and for 24 years I proudly wore our nation’s uniform.
My father, a Korean War-era Army veteran, died of lung cancer a few years later, leaving behind a mountain of medical debt. Thank goodness for Social Security survivor benefits. And thank goodness for the GI Bill, which put my father and me, and millions of other Americans, through college.
Eventually, like the rest of my family, I fell in love with teaching. Three out of four of us married teachers. I taught social studies and coached football at Mankato West High School. Go Scarlets! We had a 44-man defense, we ran to the whistle on every single play, and we even won a state championship. People, never close the yearbook.
It was my students who inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I wanted to convey to them – a commitment to the common good. An understanding that we are all in this together. And a belief that one person can make a real difference for their neighbors.
So there I was, a high school teacher in my forties with young children, no political experience, and no money, running for office in a deep red district. But you know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher. Never.
I spent 12 years representing my neighbors in Congress and learned so much. I learned how to work across party lines on issues like supporting rural economies and caring for veterans. And I learned how to compromise without sacrificing my values.
Then I came home to serve as governor, and we immediately went to work improving the lives of our neighbors. We cut taxes for the middle class. We passed paid family and medical leave. We invested in crime reduction and affordable housing. We lowered prescription drug costs and helped people escape the medical debt that nearly ruined my family. And we made sure every child in our state got breakfast and lunch every day. So while other states were banishing books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours.
We’ve also protected reproductive freedom because in Minnesota we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. And even if we wouldn’t make the same choices for ourselves, we have one golden rule: Mind your own damn business.
That includes IVF and fertility treatments. This is a very personal thing for Gwen and me. If you’ve never experienced the hell of infertility, you definitely know someone who has. And I can remember praying every night for a call with good news, the sinking feeling in my stomach when the phone rang, and the agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked. It took Gwen and I years. But we had access to fertility treatments, and when our daughter was finally born, we named her Hope.
Hope, Gus, and Gwen – you are my everything and I love you. I’m telling you how we started our family because that’s what this election is all about: freedom. When Republicans use that word, they mean that the government should have the freedom to invade doctors’ offices. Businesses should have the freedom to pollute the air and water. And banks should have the freedom to take advantage of their customers.
But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people you love. The freedom to make your own health care decisions. And yes, the freedom for your children to go to school without fear of being shot in the playground. Look, I know guns. I’m a veteran. I’m a hunter. I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress and have the trophies to prove it.
But I’m also a father. I believe in the Second Amendment. But I also believe that our first duty is to keep our children safe.
That’s what it’s about: responsibility towards our children, towards each other and towards the future we are building together, where everyone is free to create the life they want. But not everyone has the same sense of responsibility. Some people just don’t understand what it means to be a good neighbour.
Take Donald Trump and JD Vance. Their Project 2025 is going to make life much, much harder for people just trying to live their lives. They’ve pretended they didn’t know anything about it for a long time. But look, I coached high school football long enough to know this, and believe me, if someone takes the time to draft a script, they’re going to execute it. We know what they’re going to do when they get back into the White House: They’re going to start driving up costs for middle-class families, they’re going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they’re going to gut Social Security and Medicare, and they’re going to ban abortion across America, with or without Congress.
That’s the point: It’s an agenda that no one asked for. It’s an agenda that benefits no one except the wealthiest and most extreme among us. And it’s an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need.
Is that strange? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And it’s dangerous. It’s not just me saying that, it’s Trump’s own people. They’ve been with him for four years. They’re warning us that the next four years are going to be much, much worse.
When I taught, we elected a student body president. And you know what? These teenagers could teach Donald Trump a hell of a lot about what a leader is. Leaders don’t spend all day insulting people and blaming others; leaders get the job done. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to judge these guys. Say it with me: “We’re not going back.”
We have something better to offer the American people. That starts with our candidate, Kamala Harris.
From her first day as a prosecutor, district attorney, attorney general, senator, and later as our vice president, she fought on the side of the American people. She took on predators and con artists. She took down transnational gangs. And she stood up to powerful corporate interests. She never hesitated to help across party lines when it came to making your life better. And she always did it with energy, passion, and joy.
Folks, we have a chance to make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States. But I think we owe it to the American people to tell them exactly what she would do as president before we ask for their vote. So this is the part you can cut out, save, and send to your undecided relatives so they know. If you’re a middle-class family, or a family trying to move into the middle class, Kamala Harris will lower your taxes. If you’re being squeezed by the prices of your prescription drugs, Kamala Harris will take on the pharmaceutical industry. If you’re hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris will help you make it more affordable.
And no matter who you are, Kamala Harris will stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life you want to live.
Because that’s what we want for ourselves. And that’s what we want for our neighbors. You know, you may not know this, but I haven’t given many big speeches like this. But I have given a lot of motivational speeches.
So let me close with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we have the ball. We’re charging down the field. And boy, do we have the right team. Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced. And Kamala Harris is ready.
Our job for all of you spectators is to get in the trenches and block and tackle. Inch by inch, meter by meter, phone call by phone, door knock by door, $5 by door donation.
We only have 76 days left. That’s nothing. When we’re dead, we’ll have time to sleep. And we’re going to leave it all on the field. That’s how we’re going to move forward. That’s how we’re going to leave Donald Trump behind. That’s how we’re going to build a country where workers come first, health care and housing are human rights, and the government stays the hell out of your bedroom.
This is how we make America a place where no child goes hungry. Where no community is left behind. Where no one is told they don’t belong.
So we will fight. And as the next President of the United States always says, “If we fight, we win!” If we fight, we win! If we fight, we win!
Thank you and God bless America!
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