• A brief history of Tim Walz who Kamala Harris picked as her running mate

• Relatable Minnesotan takes on JD Vance in vice-presidential debate tonight

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Who is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' running mate?

Tim Walz's life as a running mate, and as candidate for vice-president of the United States, started in an unorthodox fashion.

For most Americans, he burst onto the scene with his viral interview on television where he said of his now opponents: "These guys are just weird". That also quickly made him into a strong contender to become Kamala Harris' running mate.

Reportedly, in a meeting with Harris shortly before being chosen as her VP pick this summer, he admitted he didn't know how to work a teleprompter, and is a bad debater.

While the first admission has already been put to the test on an intense campaign trail schedule this autumn, his first - and only - chance to disprove the latter comes later today.

Walz and Donald Trump's running-mate JD Vance, the two candidates for vice-president, will face off in a televised debate in New York City from 9pm EST (2am UK time). It is their first and only debate scheduled - and is likely the last of the presidential campaign debates this season, since Trump ruled out meeting Harris for a second debate.

As we explained before, VP picks can be critical in shoring up votes with groups that the presidential candidate isn't as strong with. They are also the next port-of-call in case anything is to happen to the president.

So first up - who is Walz?

Politics followed a career of public service

In his early-40s, Walz made his first inroads into politics, when he was elected to the House of Representatives - the United States' lower house of Congress - for Minnesota.

He beat an incumbent Republican who had been in the seat for six terms, with 53% of the vote to the incumbent's 47%. Walz went on to serve for five terms himself, including winning re-election with a whopping 62.5% of the vote in 2008.

This was an agricultural district and fairly Republican-leaning. Yet campaigning as a moderate, Walz won success in the area time and again.

He then ran for Governor of Minnesota, and won election in 2018, and was re-elected in 2022.

While he won his first Governorship by 11 points, his tenure was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Yet Walz's political involvement only began in 2004, when he volunteered in John Kerry's presidential campaign.

Prior to that, he had worked as a teacher since graduating from college in 1989, after a three-year hiatus when his father died and his family struggled to make do.

Walz undertook a one-year teaching position in China, and then became a teacher in Alliance, a small town in Nebraska. He later moved to his wife's home state of Minnesota in 1996, where he continued to teach and coached football.

Even before his teaching career, he had joined the National Guard, enlisting in 1981 when he was 17. The National Guard is the reserve force of the United States, serving both their state and national government. Walz served 24 years in the National Guard before retiring in 2005 to run for Congress.

Like Walz, JD Vance joined the military after high school, and spent four years with the Marines and served a tour in Iraq in 2005.

While they're on opposite sides of the political spectrum, Walz and Vance have this in common: For the first time in nearly 30 years, two enlisted military veterans have been selected as a Vice-Presidential candidate.

Why was Walz chosen by Harris?

As we covered in our previous article on VP candidates - Harris' choice of Tim Walz was the culmination of a contest where she considered a number of well-credentialed white males to complement her on the Democratic ticket.

Walz was Governor of Minnesota, a state in the Midwest of the United States - the same region as JD Vance's native Ohio. According to Axios, over the last two decades, the region has emerged as a key battleground in the Presidential election, and "the most purple region overall" - meaning that many of its states could swing towards either candidate on election day.

Yet in the 24 hours before being announced as the running mate, Walz's odds were only at 3/14.00, implying only a 25% chance of being chosen.

Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania - a key swing state - was then at odds of 4/111.36, giving him a 73% chance of being chosen. But the odds shifted rapidly on the day of the election.

Others who were considered also came from key states in the Midwest - such as Pete Buttigieg from Indiana, or Andy Beshear from Kentucky (which is often considered a part of the Midwest). The other close candidate, Mark Kelly, is a Senator from Arizona, one of the seven swing states in this election.

Walz has been a success so far in the campaign

His nomination proved a boon to Harris, who experienced a bump in the polls and the betting markets following her decision.

Obama famously said at the Democratic Convention: "I love this guy - you can tell those flannel shirts he wears don't come from some political consultant."

But Walz has his detractors. Some of them, who watched him in debates, called his answers "word salad" and Democrats will want to see none of that when he takes on Vance.

A lot is riding on tonight's debate against Vance and the Harris campaign will be hoping Walz continues to be an asset all the way to 5 November.

Now read US Election Latest: Expect extreme takes from both sides as Vice Presidents debate