Kamala Harris picks Walz for 2024 VP, past DUI resurfaces
Kamala Harris announces Walz as her 2024 running mate
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gained national attention this week after Vice President Kamala Harris chose him as her running mate for the 2024 election to challenge former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance.
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.
Now let’s get to work. Join us:https://t.co/W4AE2WlMTj
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 6, 2024
Interest in his past surged, with a booking photo surfacing from a 1995 arrest in Nebraska. State troopers had pulled him over for speeding and suspected drunken driving.
According to the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, Walz was arrested on 23 September 1995. He was stopped by state police on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Court records reveal that Walz, then 28, was a high school teacher and football coach at the time. He was caught speeding above 80 mph and failed a breath test with a blood-alcohol level of .128. The legal limit in Nebraska was .1 at the time, now lowered to .08.
Walz also failed a field sobriety test. His lawyer, Russell Harford, attributed this to Walz’s poor hearing and the trooper’s delayed use of sirens. Harford argued in court that the situation was “a little bit bizarre,” claiming Walz thought “somebody was after him.”
Walz was booked into the county jail and later released on bond. The case concluded with a plea deal where Walz admitted to a reduced charge of reckless driving.
Now 60, he paid a $200 fine and reportedly abstains from alcohol.
Harris announced him as her running mate on Tuesday. She became the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for 2024 after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race due to poor debate performance, disappointing poll results, and concerns about his capability to continue leading the country.
Walz, originally from Nebraska and a longtime National Guardsman, transitioned from a career in education to politics, being elected to the House of Representatives. He became Minnesota’s governor in 2019 and was re-elected in 2022.
Both Walz and his Republican vice-presidential rival, JD Vance, are fans of Diet Mountain Dew. In a 2023 post on X, Walz responded to a KwikTrip message about 52 oz of diet coke, saying, “Make it a Diet Mountain Dew and I’m sold.”
