MINNEAPOLIS (CB) — Vice President Kamala Harris has made her running mate pick official by selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Walz is well-liked in his home state of Minnesota but was largely unknown nationwide until a few weeks ago when he called Republican nominee Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance "just weird". This MSNBC soundbite became a staple in the infancy of Vice President Harris' election efforts. But outside of his current position (governor), his age (60), and where he hails from (America's heartland), what do we know about the vice presidential nominee?

Gov. Walz was born in Nebraska in the small town of West Point, population 3,500. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, retiring as a command sergeant major. Walz was also a social studies teacher at Mankato West High School. It was there that he also coached football, bringing the school their first of four state championships in 1999.

Those accolades can tell you a lot about Tim Walz. First, he is not some city slicker who lacks an understanding of small-town values. Next, he believes in serving his country and will faithfully support the armed services. He was a teacher, which means he is selfless, humble, and has been severely underpaid. Lastly, and this is the most important to myself as a potential voter: He is a winning high school football coach.

That might not seem like something that should stand out, but it does to me. Walz was able to build a program that won a state championship; that takes an exceptional amount of passion, patience, and sacrifice. Good football coaches are traditionally great leaders.

But if you vote for policies over people, and I commend you for doing such, let's dive into what Governor Walz has achieved in office. In his first term as governor, Walz navigated a legislature that was split, with the Democrats holding the House and the Republicans controlling the Senate. Walz was able to broker several compromises with the Republican-led Senate and was "surprisingly productive".

The pandemic hit during Walz's first year in office, and the governor became a transparent and accessible figure with frequent briefings in the early days of the crisis that were broadcast and streamed statewide. This accessibility was helpful in winning the governor a second term by more than 8 points over his challenger.

Walz's second term is likely more telling about what he stands for and who he is. Starting the second term with a whopping $17.6 billion budget surplus and an aggressive agenda, Walz and the partisan House and Senate repealed almost all abortion restrictions that had been previously placed.

They funded a free school lunch program, focused on infrastructure by undertaking a massive road repair effort, and leaned into consumer protection, taking on Ticketmaster after the Taylor Swift debacle (it is likely Tim's teenage daughter helped influence this effort). The governor also enacted a paid medical and family leave program, legalized cannabis, and made it easier to vote.

And while that all sounds pretty good, there are some Walz woes. His school meal program was defrauded to the tune of $250 million in one of the largest pandemic aid fraud cases known as the Feeding Our Future Scandal. Walz has also been criticized for his response to the civil unrest in Minnesota following the murder of George Floyd. Furthermore, Minnesota Republicans maintain that rather than using the pandemic surplus on social programs, it would have been better spent on more lasting tax breaks.

So there you have him: Governor Timothy James Walz. A Midwest man who served as a teacher and member of the Army National Guard, was able to build a winning football program, and worked with both sides his first term in office. Adding Walz, who is well-spoken and known to quip, to the ticket is a good complementary choice for the current VP, who could use his Midwestern appeal and quick wit as the election draws near.