Tim Walz Is the First Democrat Since Jimmy Carter Who Joined a White House Ticket Without Law School Experience

Mar. 15, 2025

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former President Jimmy Carter.Photo:Scott Olson/Getty; Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty

Scott Olson/Getty; Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be the first candidate on a Democratic White House ticket who didn’t attend law school since PresidentJimmy Carterran for reelection in 1980.

Tim Walz celebrates his Democratic primary victory in Minnesota’s 2018 gubernatorial race alongside his son, Gus.Stephen Maturen/Getty

Stephen Maturen/Getty

Walz, 60, is a former teacher, national guardsman and high school football coach who turned to politics in 2006 when he successfully ran for the U.S. House as a Democrat in a historically Republican district. After 12 years in Congress, during which he became a senior member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Walz soundly won the 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial race.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in social science education from Chadron State College and a Master of Science in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Carter earned a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, and after serving in the military went on to become a peanut farmer, Georgia state senator and, later, the Georgia governor. He was elected president in 1976, serving one term.

Only one Democrat on a presidential ticket between Walz and Carter didn’t earn a law degree: Vice PresidentAl Gore. He did still study law though, only dropping out of the program when the opportunity arose to run for Congress mid-way through his studies.

Jimmy Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.(Photo courtesy of the NARA)

Walz was among a rumoredshortlist of vice presidential pickseven before PresidentJoe Bidenwithdrew from the race, but in recent weeks, he shot up the list in part due to his demonstrated ability to articulate Harris' platform on the campaign trail.

Other names that made Harris' running mate shortlist included Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen.Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov.Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov.J.B. Pritzkerand Transportation SecretaryPete Buttigieg.

In that bunch, Buttigieg and Kelly also did not attend law school. Buttigieg earned two bachelor’s degrees after studying at Harvard University and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, going on to work as a consultant at McKinsey & Company before joining the U.S. military. Kelly, meanwhile, had a distinguished Naval career and received a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering before becoming an astronaut.

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In a statement explaining her decision to select Walz as her running mate, Harris alluded to the governor’s Midwest roots, saying, “One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s personal. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his own.”

“We are going to build a great partnership,” her statement continued. “We start out as underdogs but I believe together, we can win this election.”

As the new presumptive vice presidential nominee, Walz promptly began a five-day tour of seven battleground states, beginning with a stop in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.

source: people.com