Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stood before a packed arena in Chicago on Wednesday night and thanked his family for their support as he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for vice president.
In a touching moment, Walz, as he’s done on the campaign trail over the past few weeks, spoke about his and his wife’s struggles with fertility as they sought to have children.
“It took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments,” Walz said. “And when our daughter was born, we named her Hope. Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you.”
The cameras panned to the Walz family, showing Gus and Hope tearing up as Gus jumped to his feet to applaud and mouth: “That’s my dad!”
“I’m letting you in on how we started a family because this is a big part of what this election is about — freedom!” the Minnesota governor went on.
Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris have hammered Republican efforts to roll back abortion access across the nation and pointed to conservative plans to take aim at fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization.
In a brief but electrified speech, Walz described the remaining days until the November election as the essential final moments of a football match, harkening back to his days as a coach and high school teacher.
“It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal,” Walz told the crowd. “But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field. And boy, do we have the right team.”