As the Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election — and current U.S. Vice President — Kamala Harris has also been everywhere recently. From news stories about her campaign to the viral “coconut tree” memes, there’s lots to discuss. One major topic of conversation, though, has been about the speculation over who she would choose to be her running mate. (A VP searching for her own VP — iconic.) On August 6, she put the rumors to bed by announcing her choice was none other than Tim Walz, the current governor of Minnesota.Â
Walz is a military veteran, former public school teacher, former congressman, and stalwart Democrat in the Midwest. He openly supported President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election, and then when Biden was no longer in the race for reelection, Walz quickly endorsed Harris. Walz is a progressive candidate who supports rights to abortion and IVF, has signed legislation to raise the minimum wage and for a paid leave program, and aims to decrease carbon emissions in Minnesota. And since he has just been thrust into the spotlight with his addition to Harris’ ticket, he will be a relevant name for at least the next couple months, if not longer. And that means people should learn how to pronounce Tim Walz’s name once and for all.Â
There has been some confusion on social media about the correct pronunciation of Walz’s last name, with people unsure about whether it’s pronounced like “walls” or “waltz.” There are videos of people pronouncing it both ways (“waltz” vs “walls”), and it seems important to clear the confusion up before this campaign moves any further along.
Luckily, it’s easy enough to set the record straight: In Walz’s 2019 inaugural speech for governor of Minnesota, during his oath, the pronunciation is “walls” — with no “t” sound. So, although it kind of looks like it should be “waltz,” “walls” is the correct pronunciation. So there you have it.
Although it’s important to pronounce Walz’s name right for intellectual conversations about the election (also because it’s just good manners to pronounce someone’s name correctly), Gen Z also knows it’s important to pronounce it right for memes, too. Especially after all of the attention that Kamala Harris has gotten online, I’m sure that with the announcement of this ticket, they will keep on developing. (Think of all the opportunities for rhyming “Walz,” am I right?!)
In fact, Walz has already had a ton of attention on him in recent weeks, as he is credited with coining the Republican ticket, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, as “just weird.” His turn of phrase went viral, and it seems to have stuck, as other people have taken to using the term as well, and Vance even taking to social media to fight the term. (He posted a video on X of Kamala Harris sharing her pronouns and the caption was “J.D. Vance is weird.” K.)Â
Overall, as the presidential election continues, Walz is sure to become a name you’ll be hearing a lot — so it’s a good think you now know how it’s supposed to be pronounced!