Kamala Harris’ veep pick, Tim Walz, has come out of the gates swinging, instantly earning the adoration of the internet with his small-town charm, his “pro-joy” messaging, and his everyman appeal as a typical Midwestern dad.
But the Minnesota governor has more than himself to thank for the comforting public image that has captivated both Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans alike. Walz’s 23-year-old daughter, Hope, has helped catapult her father into Gen-Z stardom—even earning her own fanbase along the way.
“Hi Minnesota, Governor Walz here,” he says in a video PSA for hands-free driving, filmed with Hope. “We’re making sure we remind all of you hands-free driving starts on the first of August. We want to make sure our teen drivers are not texting…”
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“No, no, no,” Hope interjects. “I think it’s actually mostly bald men,” she adds, poking fun at her “old guy” father throughout the clip.
In another video filmed at a state fair, Walz says he’s going to grab corndogs with his daughter, only to be reminded by Hope that she’s vegetarian. He suggests turkey instead.
“Turkey’s meat,” Hope says flatly. “Not in Minnesota, turkey is special,” Walz quips.
Unwittingly or not, the viral dad-daughter moments have boosted Walz’s popularity, building up his public image as antithetical to the grim “weirdness” of the Trump-Vance ticket, plagued by accusations of furniture harassment and blatantly sexist screeds.
Tim Walz “is the mid-western dad we need as VP,” March For Our Lives founder David Hogg said in an X post sharing the PSA video of Walz and Hope.
“If you haven’t fallen in love with Tim Walz yet, watch him and his daughter Hope at the Minnesota state fair,” one X user wrote. “Impossible not to love Tim Walz and his daughter Hope too,” another one read.
Others are already hoping for a “veep daughters” alliance to blossom between Hope—a social worker and graduate of Montana State University—and Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, an artist and model based in New York.
“Really excited for the first Hope Walz/Ella Emhoff photo op, ngl,” one X user said, while others demanded everything from “a podcast” to “campaign content” from the pair.
Governor Walz has also captivated the electorate through the story of Hope’s improbable birth.
“Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF. This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others… Don’t let these guys get away with this by telling you they support IVF when their handpicked judges oppose it,” the Minnesota government said in a previous Facebook post, which he wrote in reaction to the Alabama Supreme Court decision banning IVF.
The governor has spoken at length about his family’s personal struggles having children, which the veep candidate has often cited in his advocacy for reproductive rights.
“It’s not by chance that we named our daughter Hope,” he told the Star-Tribune last year.
While Hope brings renewed Gen Z energy to the Harris-Walz ticket, her father seems more than happy to share the limelight—even if that means embarrassing her along the way.
“She’s a social worker, she works at a homeless shelter… and she’s a ski instructor!” Walz says in a newly surfaced video in which he appears to be bragging about his daughter to complete strangers.
Hope twiddles her fingers, appearing mortified—and the crowd cheers.
