Who Is Gwen Walz, V.P. Candidate Tim Walz’s Wife?

Tim Walz was selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate in August from a small pool of candidates. Before his political career, he was an educator, like his wife.

Gwen Walz, the prospective vice president’s wife, has been a pioneer in education, teaching in institutions ranging from migrant public schools to federal prisons. Born in Glencoe, Minnesota, Gwen graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University before kicking off her teaching career in western Nebraska, where she met Tim and eventually married him in 1994.

After teaching in Mankato, Minnesota, for over 20 years, Tim, Gwen, and their children Hope and Gus moved to St. Paul when Tim was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018. According to her state bio, her passions in life include “teaching at prisons and promoting criminal justice reform to advocating for the LGBTQ movement. “

Following her husband’s election, Gwen told reporters, “I make no mistake about it, Tim is going to make the decisions. And he did when he was in Congress. And I think we worked toward usually the same end, but we really trust one another.”

Gwen’s passion for education and advocating for incarcerated individuals is evident throughout her work and career.

Her first public event as the First Lady of Minnesota was attending a rally that supported voting rights restoration for felons. Gwen has also been pivotal in working for the Bard Prison Initiative, which helps incarcerated individuals receive access to higher education and assists them financially in this process. Her work also includes assisting in the process of hiring an assistant commissioner to place college curricula within prisons.

Her biography page includes information on her character and states, “Gwen understands that corrections must be an inclusive component of our education system, and by expanding opportunity, our state can dramatically reduce recidivism rates and, most importantly, transform lives.”