All The Details About Tim And Gwen Walz's Marriage

When President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election and Vice President Kamala Harris tagged in, there was a lot of buzz about who might be her new running mate. On August 6, 2024, we had our answer: Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. After the news broke, Harris wrote on Instagram, "What impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family: Gwen, Gus, and Hope. Doug and I look forward to working with him and Gwen to build an administration that reflects our shared values."

As is wont to happen when a politician enters the such a high-stakes race, voters immediately wanted to know everything about Tim Walz and his family. While they're a relatively private bunch, Tim and his wife, Gwen Walz, have shared some pieces of their story over the years. And it's a story that began with dinner and a movie.

On their first date, they went to Hardee's and saw the 1993 thriller "Falling Down." As Gwen recounted in the Star Tribune, Tim insisted that very night that they would get married one day. Sure enough, the two tied the knot in 1994. Here's what else we know about Tim and Gwen Walz's marriage. 

Tim and Gwen Walz have a Midwestern love story. Tim was born and raised in Nebraska while Gwen has spent most of her life living in Minnesota. Both former educators, the two met while teaching in rural Nebraska in the early '90s, the first teaching gig for them both. "Tim and I even shared a classroom with just a divider right down the middle when we were teaching in Nebraska," Gwen told MPR News. A couple of years after their wedding, the Walzes moved to Mankato, Minnesota, a mid-sized town in the southern part of the state, and got teaching jobs at the same high school.

The two educators have always been passionate about inclusivity, especially when it comes to their students. When they taught in Mankato, both Tim and Gwen were sure to make safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students. In the late '90s, Tim became the staff advisor for the gay-straight alliance at the high school he and Gwen taught at. "It really needed to be the football coach, who was the soldier and was straight and was married," Tim said to the Star Tribune of his position. Gwen, meanwhile, was noted for creating a positive and safe environment. "I'd never heard a teacher ever talk about gay issues from the front of the classroom. That act meant the world to me. It made me feel welcome in the place where I'm supposed to learn," a former student told the Associated Press.

Tim and Gwen Walz's marriage hasn't been all roses and sunshine. The two have struggled, including while they were trying to add children to their family. The couple wasn't able to conceive naturally, which led them to seek fertility treatment. Luckily, they were living just over an hour away from Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic, which is widely considered the best hospital in the United States. For seven years, Gwen and Tim tried to conceive a child with the help of the Mayo Clinic and intrauterine insemination (IUI). It was a long road. "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," Tim said at a campaign rally in 2024.

Reproductive health care is still a topic Tim is passionate about. "Even if you've never gone through the hell of infertility, someone you know has ... JD Vance opposing the miracle of IVF is a direct attack on my family and so many others," Tim said on X of his and his wife's past challenges and the 2024 Republican vice presidential candidate's views on the procedures.

As noted, Tim and Gwen Walz struggled to conceive, but in the end, they were able to welcome two children into their family, a daughter named Hope Walz and a son named Gus Walz. "It wasn't by chance that when we welcomed our daughter into the world, we named her Hope," Tim said at a campaign rally. 

Tim and Gwen were living in Mankato when their children were born, and they remained there until Tim became governor of Minnesota in 2019. The family then relocated to St. Paul. "While we'll miss the first house we bought as two public school teachers starting a family. We're grateful and excited about this next chapter of our lives. We're having fun getting to know our new neighborhood in St. Paul. The Uptowner Cafe and Grand Ole Creamery have quickly become family favorites," Tim said about the move to MPR News.

Like all true Minnesotans, Tim and Gwen have raised their children to enjoy a fair. In a 2023 Instagram post, Tim shared a cute interaction video he and his daughter took at the Minnesota State Fair that year. In the clip, Tim and Hope try to decide what they're going to eat that day. Tim suggests a corndog, to which Hope replies that she's a vegetarian. Tim then suggests turkey, which Hope again declines because it's meat. Without missing a beat, Tim quips, "Not in Minnesota; turkey's special."

A career in politics isn't cheap. It's expensive to run a campaign, making politics a playground for the extremely wealthy. While Donald Trump's net worth fluctuates, he's steadily worth at least a couple billions. Barack Obama has an estimated net worth of $70 million. Even Kamala Harris and J.D. Vance are multimillionaires, with their estimated net worths sitting at $8 million and $10 million, respectively. But politicians don't have to be wealthy to be elected and have an impact, as evidenced by Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz.

As noted, Tim and Gwen spent their life working in education, a historically low-paying field. While Tim has had other sources of income — he served in the military until 2005 and then in Congress for several years until becoming the governor of Minnesota — none of them have been particularly lucrative. Though they certainly live well above the poverty line, Tim and Gwen have nowhere near the assets other high-profile political figures in the United States have. According to The Wall Street Journal, neither Tim nor Gwen own any stocks, and they don't own any real estate (the couple sold their home in Mankato, Minnesota, when Tim was elected governor). The couple's only investments are their pensions, and in 2019, their net worth reportedly landed in the six-figure range. Their financial report card certainly isn't nothing, but it pales in comparison to some of Tim's colleagues.

Those who know them personally have always regarded Tim and Gwen Walz as a supportive team. "When you get Tim, you get Gwen," John Klaber, old coworker of Gwen's, told The New York Times. Being the spouse of anyone in politics isn't easy — that person has to pick up the slack at home and let their personal life be aired out for public consumption, too — but Gwen has seemingly always been up for the challenge. "We have always worked as a partnership. We are still one another's closest advisers," Gwen said of her relationship with her husband on an episode of the "What If It Works" podcast. 

Gwen has always been a present figure on her husband's campaign trail, and she's even stepped in when needed. Back in 2006, when Tim was running for Congress for the first time, he was slated to speak at a fundraiser in Mankato, Minnesota. Unfortunately, Tim came down with laryngitis and was unable to fulfill his commitment. However, Gwen was ready to step in, and she spoke to the crowd on her husband's behalf. "There were other candidates who spoke, and she was the most articulate of the bunch," Klaber said of Gwen in the aforementioned NYT feature. The crowd was taken with her. "We all looked around and said, 'Why isn't she running?'"

Tim Walz has garnered many supporters across his home state. In 2023, his gubernatorial approval rating was 54%, which is a celebratory figure for politicians. But, as noted, Minnesotans have wondered why Tim's wife, Gwen Walz, isn't involved in politics herself. Luckily for those people, Gwen has had an influence on her husband's policies. For instance, one of Tim's biggest achievements as governor of Minnesota has been his criminal justice reform, and it's an issue that's long been important to Gwen, too. "I think it's a crucial conversation to have. I'm convinced that people are looking for ways to address all kinds of different issues within corrections and within criminal justice," Gwen said of the issue in 2019 amid the first year of Tim's time as governor, as reported by MPR News.

But Gwen doesn't want to take too much credit. In her eyes, her husband is the one doing the major work while she fulfills her duties as Minnesota's first lady. "Tim is the governor and makes the governor decisions. We have a lot to do and everyone has a role and part in it. It is my responsibility to find my way forward in this new role, with respect and awareness," Gwen said in 2019, as reported by the Star Tribune.

Running for a major position in politics means being open to scrutiny, and Tim and Gwen Walz know that from experience. For example, in 2024, while at a rally for his running mate, Kamala Harris, Tim walked out on stage with Gwen. While Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, embraced with a kiss, Tim and Gwen went a different route — they shook hands and hugged each other with one arm. Some found the interaction odd, namely Donald Trump's VP pick J.D. Vance. "I know that when I see my wife after a big speech, what I really want to do is give her a nice, firm handshake," Vance joked in conversation with the Daily Mail. "It's just a completely bizarre response." Donald Trump Jr. also attempted to take a shot at Tim Walz, calling the handshake "weird."

Despite the criticism, Tim and Gwen have remained united. "Wisconsin and Michigan, thank you for the incredible rallies yesterday! Your energy was inspiring and I am grateful for everyone who welcomed us," Gwen said on Instagram during the 2024 presidential election. "We couldn't be more proud to be in this fight." On June 4, 2024, Tim and Gwen celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Two years prior, Tim marked the day with a photo posted to X. "In 1994, on this day, we were surrounded by our family and dear friends. Today, we remain most grateful for them and each other," he said.