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Tim Walz has galore titles: Social studies teacher, precocious schoolhouse shot coach, politician of Minnesota and Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee to sanction conscionable a few.
But to his girl Hope, 23, and lad Gus, 18, he’s Dad.
“Of each the things he’s done,” Walz’s wife, archetypal woman of Minnesota Gwen Walz, said successful an August video shared to Instagram, “Tim loves being a dad.”
However, the couple’s roadworthy to parenthood wasn’t easy, and they’ve spoken astir their fertility journey, including their acquisition with intrauterine insemination (IUI).
“If you’ve ne'er experienced the hellhole that is infertility, I warrant you you cognize idiosyncratic who has,” Walz said during his code astatine the 2024 Democratic National Convention successful August. “And I tin retrieve praying each nighttime for a telephone call. The pit successful your tummy erstwhile the telephone had rang and the implicit agony erstwhile we heard the treatments hadn’t worked. It took Gwen and I years, but we had entree to fertility treatments. And erstwhile our girl was born, we named her Hope.”
Hope was calved successful January 2001 followed by Gus 5 years later.
“Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my full world,” Walz continued, “and I emotion you.”
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Naturally, he’s brought them into his governmental world, with his children joining him connected the run way successful his tally alongside existent vice president and Democratic statesmanlike nominee Kamala Harris. Even earlier the 2024 election—in which they are moving against Republican statesmanlike nominee and erstwhile commandant successful main Donald Trump arsenic good arsenic his vice statesmanlike nominee Ohio Senator JD Vance—Walz’s loved ones had been by his broadside arsenic helium campaigned for roles successful legislature and arsenic Minnesota’s governor.
In fact, Walz promised to get Gus a puppy if helium was elected governor—staying existent to his connection and rescuing canine Scout successful 2019, the pup joining household feline Afton.
To larn much astir the Walz family, support scrolling (and work astir Harris', Trump's and Vances' families here, here and here).
Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Dad James F. Walz
Born successful Nebraska successful 1929, James F. Walz was the lad of a butcher. He served successful the Korean War and worked arsenic a teacher, aboriginal taking connected the relation of superintendent.
James joined woman Darlene Walz, and they raised their 4 children—Tim Walz, Jeff Walz, Craig Walz and Sandy Dietrich—in Butte, Neb.
James died successful 1984 aft battling lung cancer.
"The values of hard work, family, and acquisition were important to my gramps and father," Walz tweeted connected Father's Day successful 2022. "And though I mislaid my begetter erstwhile I was inactive successful my teens, I’m everlastingly grateful for the values that my begetter and gramps instilled successful maine and are practiced successful the Walz family."
Tim Walz/X
Mom Darlene Walz
Walz has opened up astir however beingness changed for him, his ma Darlene and his siblings aft their father's death. "After helium died—my ma was a stay-at-home mom—she became our stone and present she had to spell retired and get enactment due to the fact that the aesculapian bills broke her," the Minnesota politician recalled successful an August 2024 conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris, sharing however his ma turned to "Social Security and Social Security subsister benefits. We're good pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We had nary boots. That's the boots. We paid it back." While Darlene lives a backstage life, Walz has offered penetration into however she's influenced him. As the Democratic VP nominee wrote successful a 2020 Mother's Day tribute, "My parent taught maine what it means to service others." Darlene recently made headlines erstwhile she commented connected her family's antithetic governmental views (According to NBC News, Walz's member Jeff wrote connected Facebook helium hasn't "spoken to him successful 8 years" and is "100% opposed to each his ideology.") “I deliberation the champion happening maybe, for me," she told the Daily Beast successful September, "is to conscionable enactment retired of it." Speaking of siblings, Jeff and Sandy graduated from Nebraska's Chadron State College on with Walz and unrecorded successful Florida and Nebraska, respectively, per the school's website. Their member Craig died successful 2016 aft a tempest caused a histrion to autumn connected his campsite successful Minnesota, the Cook County Sheriff's Office told local NBC affiliate KARE. Walz has said they each entered the teaching profession.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Wife Gwen Walz
Gwen Walz is the 39th archetypal woman of Minnesota.
Born and raised successful the state, Gwen attended Gustavus Adolphus College arsenic good arsenic Minnesota State University. According to her bio, she launched her vocation arsenic an English teacher successful Nebraska, wherever she met Walz. In fact, Gwen has said they adjacent shared a schoolroom with a divider down the middle.
Although, it appears 1 of her siblings played matchmaker. As Walz wrote successful a Facebook tribute connected Gwen's day successful 2018, "I’m truthful fortunate your sister convinced you to spell retired with me."
The mates wed successful 2004. They past mates welcomed girl Hope successful 2001 followed by lad Gus successful 2006, and Gwen has spoken astir her travel with intrauterine insemination.
“Like millions of families crossed the country,” she told Glamour successful August 2024, “for years, Tim and I tried to commencement a household done fertility treatments.”
Gwen has supported Walz passim his governmental career, including connected the run way and connected the signifier astatine the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
“To my woman Gwen – Minnesota’s adjacent First Lady - however tin I ever convey you enough?” helium tweeted backmost successful 2018. “I’m grateful to you for keeping it each unneurotic for america and walking with maine connected this journey. I emotion you.”
Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Daughter Hope Walz
Hope Walz is the oldest kid of Walz and Gwen, and her sanction has heavy value pursuing their fertility journey.
"We struggled to person kids, and fertility treatments made it possible," Gwen shared successful an August 2024 video. "There is simply a crushed our girl is named Hope."
Over the years, Walz and Gwen person fixed glimpses into Hope's life—sharing photos and videos of her enjoying pasta dinners with her shot teammates, attending assemblage astatine the University of Minnesota and going connected "the astir utmost thrust astatine the Minnesota State Fair" with her dad.
She besides appeared alongside her begetter successful a 2019 PSA connected distracted driving and astatine the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
"Hope, Gus and Gwen," Walz said connected the stage, "you are my full satellite and I emotion you."
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Son Gus Walz
Gus Walz is the governor’s youngest kid with woman Gwen.
And conscionable similar with Hope, the parents person offered peeks into his day-to-day, including photos of him passing his driver's licence test, going to schoolhouse and celebrating holidays with his family.
Gus has besides supported his dada passim his governmental career. In fact, Walz promised to get Gus a puppy if helium was elected politician of Minnesota—fulfilling that committedness successful 2019 with a canine named Scout (The household besides has a favored feline named Afton.)
And astatine the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Gus was brought to tears arsenic helium cheered connected his father.
"I don’t cognize arsenic a begetter I could’ve ever imagined that," Walz told CNN. "I’m grateful for truthful galore reasons to beryllium connected this ticket, but that moment—to recognize what was truly important, to person my lad consciousness a consciousness of pridefulness successful maine that I was trying to bash the close thing. You effort and support your kids. It brings notoriety and things, but it was conscionable specified a visceral affectional infinitesimal that I’m grateful I got to acquisition it, and I’m truthful arrogant of him."
He and his woman person besides spoken astir Gus being neurodivergent.
"When helium was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning upset successful summation to an anxiousness upset and ADHD," they told People successful August 2024, "conditions that millions of Americans besides have."
They aboriginal added, "It took time, but what became truthful instantly wide to america was that Gus’ information is not a setback—it’s his concealed power."
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