Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was born and raised in Nebraska by his mother and father, James F. Walz and Darlene Rose Walz, alongside his three siblings, Jeff, Craig and Sandy.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee was born on April 6, 1964, in West Level, Neb. His mother and father additionally welcomed two sons, Jeff and Craig, and one daughter, Sandy, all of whom grew up in Nebraska and have been all lecturers at one level.
In 2016, Craig tragically died after a powerful storm hit his campsite the place he was spending time together with his household. His sudden dying marked the second tragedy for the Walz household as their father, James, died from lung most cancers when Tim was 19.
On Father’s Day in June 2022, Tim mirrored on his relationship together with his father and grandfather, writing on X that James, like Tim earlier than he moved right into a profession in politics, was a hard-working instructor.
“The values of arduous work, household, and training have been essential to my grandfather and father,” Tim wrote. “And though I misplaced my father after I was nonetheless in my teenagers, I’m eternally grateful for the values that my father and grandfather instilled in me and are practiced within the Walz household.”
Whereas Tim is on the Democratic ticket for president alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, the governor and his youthful brother, Jeff, a Republican, have differing political beliefs. In August 2024, Jeff reportedly expressed opposition to Tim’s platform by way of Fb posts.
From how he was raised to his disagreements together with his siblings, this is an entire information to Tim Walz’s household tree.
Tim Walz’s Dad and mom
James F. Walz
Tim’s father, James, was born in 1929 and grew up because the son of a butcher. After serving within the military throughout the Korean Struggle, James went to varsity to be a instructor and later grew to become a superintendent in his district in Nebraska, per Tim’s put up on X.
James died in 1984 at 54 years previous from lung most cancers, forsaking a 19-year-old Tim and three different kids.
“I used to be 19, my little brother was 8 or 9 when he handed,” Walz informed Harris in an August 2024 marketing campaign video. “He was a chain smoker, just addicted.”
“After he died, my mother was a stay-at-home mother. She grew to become our rock. And now, she needed to exit and get work as a result of the medical payments broke her,” he continued.
Darlene Rose Walz
Darlene grew up in Butte, Neb., and continues to dwell within the city in the present day, per the Los Angeles Times. The outlet reported that whereas the vast majority of the city is Republican, they struggle to not have interaction in poltiical conversations along with her relating to her son in order to not upset her.
Regardless of her kids’s differing political views, Darlene spoke to The Daily Beast about her relationship with each her sons, sharing that she chooses to not get into the center of the rift between Jeff and Tim.
“I believe the most effective factor possibly, for me, is to simply keep out of it,” she stated.
She added that she has a detailed relationship with each, not too long ago having visited Jeff at his house in Florida, the place they prevented speak of politics. A lifelong Democrat, Darlene campaigned with Tim when he ran for Congress, supported him by means of “each city in Minnesota” when he ran for governor and attended the Democratic Nationwide Conference in August 2024 when he accepted his nomination.
“Oh man, that was a blast,” she informed the outlet. “It was fantastic.”
Tim Walz’s Siblings
Jeff Walz
Like his siblings, Jeff was raised in Nebraska. Nevertheless, he now lives in Florida together with his spouse Laurie.
Jeff gained nationwide consideration after he put feedback on his Fb rebuking his youthful brother’s insurance policies and writing that there have been “tales [he] might inform” about Tim that may make folks query him. As a registered Republican, Jeff as soon as donated to former President Donald Trump‘s marketing campaign and wrote on his Fb that he “thought lengthy and arduous” about endorsing him within the 2024 election.
Quickly after the New York Post publicized his feedback, Jeff informed NewsNation on Sept. 4 that he wouldn’t be concerned in any political marketing campaign or make political statements for both social gathering going ahead.
“It wasn’t my intent, it wasn’t our intent as a household, to place one thing on the market to affect most people,” he stated.
He added that he had solely made the feedback to make clear to his associates that he didn’t agree together with his brother’s political beliefs after they questioned him about it.
“I used to be getting loads of suggestions from my associates, previous acquaintances, pondering that I used to be feeling the identical method that my brother did on the problems, and I used to be making an attempt to make clear that simply to associates,” Jeff stated. “I used Fb, which wasn’t the precise platform to try this. However I’ll say, I don’t agree together with his insurance policies.”
Jeff additionally clarified that he did not imply one thing critical by the “tales” he alluded to, however slightly, tales alongside the traces of his siblings not wanting to take a seat subsequent to Tim within the automobile resulting from automobile illness after they have been younger.
“No one needed to take a seat with him, as a result of he had automobile illness and would at all times throw up on us, that type of factor,” Jeff stated. “There’s actually nothing else hidden behind there. Persons are assuming one thing else. There’s different tales like that, however I believe that most likely offers you the gist of it.”
Apart from a short telephone name in August by which Tim requested Jeff for private paperwork like “tax data and stuff like that” as he was being vetted by Harris’ presidential marketing campaign crew, Jeff and Tim had not spoken since Craig’s funeral in 2016.
Craig Walz
Craig was born on Aug. 17, 1972, and grew up in Butte, Neb., earlier than attending the College of South Dakota in Vermillion, per his obituary. He graduated with a level in arithmetic and continued his training on the College of St. Mary’s the place he earned his grasp’s in training.
Craig quickly grew to become a instructor the place he met his spouse, Julie Slominski, on his first day of instructor orientation. The 2 wed on Could 26, 2001, and welcomed two kids collectively: Jacob and Avery.
In 2016, Craig was tragically killed when a tree fell on his campsite throughout a storm, additionally injuring his son Jacob.
Sandy Dietrich
Sandy Dietrich, née Walz, has lived a extra personal life along with her husband, Scott, in Nebraska. Nevertheless, she entered the general public eye after she cleared up dialog surrounding a photograph that her and Tim’s distant cousins posted showing their support for Trump.
Trump reposted the picture of eight folks carrying “Nebraska Walz’s [sic] for Trump” shirts in entrance of a flag that learn “Trump 2024 Take America Again” to his Truth Social account. Nevertheless, Dietrich confirmed in an interview with the Associated Press that her speedy household “weren’t shut” with the folks within the picture, including, “We did not know them.”
“I do know who I’m voting for. That’s all I can management,” Dietrich, a Democrat, stated.
Tim Walz’s Spouse and Children
Gwen Walz
Tim and Gwen met after they have been each lecturers within the Mankato, Minn. faculty district. She grew up in Minnesota and married Tim on June 4, 1994. They’ve since welcomed two kids, Hope and Gus, and continued to help each other as Tim pivoted right into a profession in politics, turning into the governor of Minnesota in 2018.
“Now we have at all times labored as a partnership,” Gwen stated throughout a July 2024 look on the What If It Works podcast. “We’re nonetheless each other’s closest advisers.”
Hope Walz
Tim and Gwen welcomed their first youngster, Hope, in January 2001. She graduated from Montana State College in 2023 and has since supported her father on the marketing campaign path, showing on stage on the DNC in August 2024.
Gus Walz
5 years after welcoming Hope, Tim and Gwen grew their household with the start of Gus on Oct. 13, 2006. In July 2024, the couple opened up in an announcement to PEOPLE about Gus’ non-verbal studying dysfunction, ADHD and nervousness analysis.
“We love our Gus,” Tim and Gwen stated. “We’re happy with the person he’s rising into, and we’re so excited to have him with us on this journey.”
Gus made headlines in August 2024 when he bought emotional as his father took the stage on the DNC, crying and yelling, “That’s my dad!” as he stood as much as give him a standing ovation.