Timothy James Walz is an American politician, retired educator, and former military officer serving as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
Walz was the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 1st congressional district from 2007 to 2019. The district comprises the state's southern end, running along the entire border with Iowa; it includes Rochester, Austin, Winona and Mankato. He was first elected in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht. He was reelected five times and served on the Agriculture Committee, Armed Services Committee and Veterans' Affairs Committee. Walz also served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
In March 2017 Walz announced that he would not run for reelection to Congress and instead run for Governor of Minnesota. On November 6, 2018, Walz was elected governor, defeating Republican nominee, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.