The Meaningful Reason Why Tim and Gwen Walz Named Their Daughter Hope

Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for Vice President, is very proud to be a dad.

In his first speech as Kamala Harris's running mate, he spoke about the struggles he and his wife, Gwen, went through to have children. "When my wife and I decided to have children, we spent years going through infertility treatments, and I remember praying every night for a call for good news, the pit in my stomach when the phone rang, and the agony when we heard that the treatments hadn’t worked," he said. "So, it wasn’t by chance that when we welcomed our daughter into the world, we named her Hope."

Both Hope and Gus joined Tim on that initial event in Philadelphia, and were pictured sitting behind their parents at the DNC on night one. They will, of course, be supporting their father as he runs for VP. Here, get to know Gwen and Tim Walz's kids:

Who is Tim Walz's daughter, Hope Walz?

Hope, 23, is Tim and Gwen's oldest child. She's made many appearances by her dad's side throughout his tenure as Governor of Minnesota, including in a now-viral video of them at the Minnesota State Fair:

In 2023, she graduated from Montana State University - Bozeman with a bachelor's degree in Criminology and a Minor in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies. She currently works as a social worker at a homeless shelter Bozeman, Montana, and a ski instructor at Big Sky.

Who is Tim Walz's son, Gus Walz?

Gus, 17, is Gwen and Tim's youngest child. He's still in school, a senior at St. Paul Central High. Last year, Tim posted on social media he was a proud dad after he passed his driving test:

Shortly after Harris selected Walz as her running mate, the Walzes shared that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder. "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 said in statement to People. "When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have."

They continued, "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. It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power."

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