Tim Walz accepts Democratic VP nomination in DNC speech
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president Wednesday night at the party's convention in Chicago.
Walz took the stage with delegates waving hundreds of 鈥淐oach Walz鈥� signs and 鈥淪mall Town鈥� by John Mellencamp playing in the background.
Walz began his speech by talking about his small-town upbringing in Butte, Nebraska, where not everyone believed the same thing or loved the same way, but saying, 鈥淓verybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.鈥�
Walz went through his professional resume, starting with his work as a high school teacher and coach. 鈥淚t was those players and my students who inspired me to run for Congress,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 learned how to work across the aisle on issues like growing the rural economies and taking care of veterans.鈥�
Walz said, 鈥淣ever underestimate a public school teacher,鈥� as he described how he won a seat in Congress after a career as a teacher with no prior political experience.
He also touted some of his policy achievements as governor while critiquing his GOP counterparts.
鈥淲hile other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours,鈥� he said. In a dig at Republican VP nominee JD Vance, he added, 鈥淚 had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale.鈥�
Watch Walz's full speech in the video player below.
Additionally, Walz also talked about his family.
When he discussed the difficulty of conceiving his daughter, Hope, she made a heart with her hands and held it over her chest. His son, Gus, wept watching his dad speak and at least once shouted, 鈥淭hat's my dad!鈥�
He finished his speech returning to his coaching roots.
鈥淟et me finish with this, team. It鈥檚 the fourth quarter. We鈥檙e down a field goal. But we鈥檙e on offense and we鈥檝e got the ball," Walz said.
He said that Democrats have to do the 鈥渂locking and tackling,鈥� making phone calls and knocking on doors over the next 76 days. 鈥淭here will be time to sleep when you鈥檙e dead,鈥� he said.
As Walz wrapped his speech to wild applause, his walk-off song 鈥淩ockin鈥� in the Free World鈥� played. The classic rock fan selected the song, according to a campaign aide, and rocker Neil Young signed off on its use.
Young famously sued Trump for using the song at his campaign rallies without permission.