In a presidential campaign that many consider to be neck and neck, Minnesota governor and Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz has emerged as a name to watch, while he attempts to ascend to the second highest office in the land.
On Oct. 1, Walz squared off against Ohio senator and Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance in the vice presidential debate. It was the one and only debate between the two and marked the last scheduled debate between anyone on the Republican and Democratic tickets.
The presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 5. Walz may not have been widely known to the average voter, but he surged to national prominence when Harris chose him as her running mate in August.
Walz shares his son Gus, 18, and daughter Hope, 23, with wife Gwen Walz, and they all joined him in support while he gave a family-centered speech on Aug. 21 at the Democratic National Convention.
Read on to learn more about his kids.
Hope
Hope was born in 2001, officially making Walz and his wife first-time parents.
He acknowledged their journey to parenthood in a Facebook post this February, writing, "Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF. This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others."
He would later clarify that Hope was conceived with intrauterine insemination. IUI “boosts the chances of pregnancy by placing specially prepared sperm directly in the uterus,” according to Mayo Clinic.
Walz celebrated Hope, now 23, on National Daughter's Day in 2023 with a sweet Instagram post.
"I have the best daughter a dad could possibly ask for. Happy National Daughter’s Day," Walz wrote.
Walz also shared how he and his daughter enjoy taking in the great outdoors.
"New favorite way for my daughter, Hope, and I to spend quality time together: Fly-fishing," he wrote Sept. 1, 2023.
Three days later, Walz posted a video of the pair at the Minnesota State Fair with his live reaction to being tricked into going on "the most extreme ride."
The footage shows them both screaming in delight on a slingshot ride, with Hope offering a "good job, Dad," at the end.
"All right, Minnesota, it's worth it," Walz said. “That is wild.”
In another father-daughter moment, Hope joined her father to watch the college national championship basketball game in 2019.
"I was proud to welcome all #finalfour teams to Minnesota this week. And now I’m excited to be at the national championship game with Hope tonight 🏀," Walz wrote in an Instagram post April 8, 2019.
Gus
The couple welcomed their second child, Gus, in 2006.
On Oct. 13, Walz celebrated Gus' 18th birthday with a throwback family photo on X, featuring him holding his baby son.
"Happy birthday, Gus. I’m so proud to be your dad," he captioned the picture.
The proud father posted on Instagram when his son became a licensed driver in 2023 with the caption, “My son Gus just passed his (what do you call it? A drivers license exam?). Proud dad moment.”
During the DNC on Aug. 21, Gus had an emotional reaction to his dad's speech.
“Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world. And I love you,” he said in his speech.
At that moment, Gus stood up, clapped, put one hand on his heart and pointed to his father on the stage. Clearly emotional, he seemed to say, “That’s my dad!”
In an interview with CNN that aired on Aug. 29, Walz spoke about what it was like to see his son’s now-viral reaction.
“I don’t know as a father that I could’ve ever imagined that,” he said. “I’m grateful for so many reasons to be on this ticket but that moment, to understand what was really important, to have my son feel a sense of pride in me that I was trying to do the right thing.”
“You try and protect your kids — you know it brings notoriety and things — but it was just such a visceral and emotional moment,” he said. “I’m grateful that I got to experience it, and I’m so proud of him.”
In early August 2024, the couple spoke out about Gus’ learning disorder for the first time.
In a statement the couple shared with People, they wrote, “When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates. Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself.”
They continued, “When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a nonverbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, children with nonverbal learning disorders can excel at memorizing words and have good basic language skills. They may have a harder time with understanding abstract concepts, reading people’s emotions through facial expressions and physical coordination.
“Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up,” they shared.
“It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power.”
Back in 2019, Minnesota got a new first dog, thanks to Gus.
“I’m excited to announce that Minnesota has a new First Dog! And more importantly, I fulfilled my commitment to get my son a dog if I was elected Governor,” Walz wrote in an Instagram post Sept. 5, 2019.
The black Labrador mix made headlines of his own when he locked himself in Walz's bedroom last year.
As the incident unfolded, Walz posted a series of updates on X, beginning with a screenshot of text messages from his wife.
“Scout locked himself in our bedroom somehow,” she wrote. “There is no key etc. I am going to head home in a little bit.”
“They are going to have to try to go in through a window,” she continued. “They are getting ladders.”
After two workers from the state climbed through a second-story window to rescue the pup, Walz posted a photo of Scout looking pleased with himself along with the caption, "Free at last!"
