Nominating Tim Walz for Vice President at the 2024 Democratic National Convention – Aug. 21, 2024

On behalf of the great state of Minnesota [cheers] where purple rains, I stand before you in support of our next vice president, Tim Walz. [cheers]

In Minnesota, we trust a coach who turned a team that was 0 and 27 into state champions. [cheers] In Minnesota, we trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather. In Minnesota, we trust a candidate who has made a viral video on how to change a burnt-out headlight. And I know we aren't alone, but in Minnesota, we love a dad in plaid. [cheers]

So Tim and I go way back. He taught high school right down the road from where my husband, John, grew up. My mother-in-law even brought him and Gwen a Parmesan chicken dinner when their son was born. That's what we do in America. We look out for our neighbors.

Tim has been doing that his whole life, on the farm and in the factory, with his students and his fellow service members. And the truth is, that matters. [applause]

Who better to take on the price of gas than a guy who could pull over to help change your tire. Who better to serve our nation than a guy who has served in uniform. [applause] Who better to find common ground than a guy with Midwestern common sense. [cheers and applause] A former football coach knows how to level the playing field. And a former public school teacher knows how to school the likes of JD Vance. [cheers and applause]

What you've done with your life matters and what you do with power matters, too. Tim has delivered paid leave, school lunches, and the biggest tax cut in Minnesota history. [cheers and applause]

A Democrat from a red district in a purple state, Tim has brought Minnesota together, and together with Vice President Kamala Harris, I know he will do the same for our nation. [cheers and applause]

America, there is so much that we share, so much that connects us. Way up north in Minnesota, out of Lake Itasca, flows the Mississippi River. It starts small, and it grows wider. It flows down to Wisconsin. And to Iowa. It goes down to Illinois. And to Missouri. It goes to Kentucky. And Tennessee. It goes to Arkansas. And it goes way down to Mississippi. And then it goes all the way down to New Orleans, Louisiana, where the spirit of our nation's resilience abounds. [cheers as each state is named]

So let us commit here and now to cross the river of our divides to get to a higher ground. And let us join together to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

PBS NewsHour. “Sen. Amy Klobuchar nominates Gov. Tim Walz for VP at 2024 Democratic National Convention.” YouTube video, 4:49. Aug. 21, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inf-or9kY-o