Why the internet is praising ‘big dad energy’ Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s pick for vice president

Kamala Harris has officially announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, causing the internet to instantly rejoice.

In the weeks since President Joe Biden stepped aside from the race and endorsed his current vice president for the Democratic presidential ticket, Americans everywhere have been wondering who Harris will select as her own deputy. Following an intense vetting process, Harris’s top picks for VP reportedly came down to Walz and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

But as progressives began to push back on Shapiro’s criticism of pro-Palestine student protests, as well as his handling of a sexual harassment complaint in his office, the internet started to warm toward Walz – a former public school teacher who recently ushered in free school meals and paid sick leave in the Midwestern state. In fact, it was his entire Midwestern demeanor, his wholesome social media presence, and his progressive policies prioritizing low-income families that solidified himself in the eyes of the internet as everyone’s dad.

From his sweet relationship with his two children to his expert tips on how to fix your car, here’s why the internet is praising Walz’s ultimate “dad energy.”

Walz pokes fun at his daughter being a vegetarian, in true Midwestern dad fashion

Ever since the Minnesota governor’s name was thrown in the ring as potential choice for VP, one video has resurfaced as an example of the “quintessential American experience” – aka, being trolled by your father for being vegetarian.

In September 2023, Walz and his 23-year-old daughter Hope visited the Minnesota State Fair, which he explained in an Instagram video is a longtime tradition for the family. As he and his daughter discussed rides at the fairgrounds, they got into a little disagreement on what food actually counts as meat.

“Then we’re going to go get some food. Corndog?” Walz told the camera. He then turned to his daughter, who reminded him: “I’m vegetarian.”

“Turkey, then,” he replied, to which Hope interjected: “Turkey’s meat.”

Without skipping a beat, the governor jokingly said in his heavy Midwestern accent: “Not in Minnesota, turkey’s special.”

Following his selection as Harris’s pick for VP, the clip once again went viral on social media as people praised the father-daughter moment. “Midwestern dad telling his daughter that turkey is actually vegetarian is the quintessential American experience,” said user Pat Dennis on X, formerly Twitter.

“Midwestern dad energy absolutely off the charts,” another person wrote, while someone else agreed: “I’m vegan and still find this hilarious. What a wholesome father-daughter moment.”

Walz and his wife, Gwen, were married in 1994. In addition to daughter Hope, who was born in 2001, the couple share a son named Gus, born in 2006. Their daughter’s name also has a special meaning, as Walz has been open about their family’s struggle with infertility. Both of his children were conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

His dog, Scout, is a rescue

Not only is Walz a father to two children, but he’s also a dog dad to a rescue pup. In 2019, he made good on a promise to his son Gus by adopting a rescue dog after he was elected governor. The family adopted Scout, a three-month-old Black Lab mix.

“Politicians make a lot of promises on the campaign trail, but none bigger than one I made to my kids. 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 said at the time. “I’m proud that Minnesota’s First Dog is a rescue dog, and I hope Scout – who has been a very good boy – serves as a reminder for Minnesotans that there are a lot of pups waiting to be adopted.”

He’s since shared several photos of Scout to his social media, including live updates when his dog accidentally locked himself in a bedroom last October. In 2020, he also ate Walz’s glasses before a meeting with the press during a Covid briefing.

His decades-long commitment to LGBTQ+ youth

Before he began his career in politics, Walz worked as a public school teacher and high school football coach at Mankato West High School in Minnesota – where he also served as faculty advisor for the school’s first-ever Gay-Straight Alliance.

Walz mentored LGBTQ+ students at the high school in 1999, three years after then-president Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, a law forbidding same-sex marriage. He later ran for Congress in 2006 while openly supporting same-sex marriage, seven years before it was legalized in Minnesota.

As Americans began to learn more about Walz’s background, serving as both a high school football coach and a mentor for LGBTQ+ students, fans couldn’t help but believe Walz had been plucked from an episode of Glee.

“Stop it. This isn’t a 90s teen show storyline? This is real? This is fantastic,” one person asked, while someone else shared: “I have an LGBTQ kid and even coming from our loving and accepting home, the GSA was a big part of their middle and high school experience. Gov Walz is a real one.”

As a veteran of the National Guard, Walz advocated for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a military policy that barred servicemembers from disclosing their sexual orientation. He declared Minnesota a refuge for youth seeking gender-affirming care in March 2023, and just one month later he signed a law banning the harmful practice of conversion therapy.

He gives classic fatherly advice about cars

If there’s one thing that gives the ultimate “dad energy,” it’s giving unsolicited yet expert advice on how to fix your car. After the Minnesota governor was announced as Harris’s pick for VP, one fan resurfaced their favorite clip from the “Walz archive” to social media.

In the video posted to X, Walz was seen sitting in the front seat of his car as he shared his “pro tip of the day” – how to replace the headlight harness on a 2014 Ford Edge. After the car part “burned out on the connector,” he informed viewers where they could purchase their own cheap replacement.

“Just clip off the back, use some shrink wrap connectors on there, tape it back together and put this back in. It’s about a five-minute fix and you’re back on the road, safe and sound,” he explained, in true dad lingo.

“Tim Walz will expand free school lunches, raise the minimum wage, make it easier to unionize, fix your carburetor, replace the old wiring in your basement, spray that wasp’s nest under the deck, install a new spring for your garage door and put a new chain on your lawn mower,” one fan jokingly said in response to the viral clip.

“I am beginning to fear Tim Walz and my dad are the same person,” another person shared on X. “They’re both named Tim and they look, talk, and act identical. When I talk to my dad on the phone, I make it maybe 30 seconds before he says, ‘How’s everything with the car?’”

Harris and Walz are expected to appear together for the first time at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.