Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was just a year into his first term when in May of 2020 a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, spurring protests across the state and the nation.
To Philonise Floyd, Walz’s compassion and dedication to ensure accountability for his older brother’s murder — and for other police brutality victims in Minnesota — is one of things that make him worthy of being the next vice president of the United States.
“He’s built for this,” Floyd, 43, said on Friday. “He’s built for this fight that he’s going to go through and I think he can do it.”
The endorsement comes just days after Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Walz as her running mate, a decision that has been met largely with enthusiasm by Democrats. Walz, now in his second term as governor after previously serving 12 years in Congress, has been introduced to voters at his early rallies with Harris as a football coach, public school teacher, and member of the Army National Guard.
Floyd said he has been impressed with Walz’s leadership for years. After his brother’s killing, Floyd believes Walz’s decision to appoint state Attorney General Keith Ellison to lead the prosecution was a justice-defining moment that ultimately led to convictions against all four officers involved.
“At first, he was just a regular governor, just looking like a politician. Then, he stood up and he put Keith Ellison in place as the prosecutor, and that showed a lot of people he was not playing. He was serious,” Floyd said. “If it wasn’t for Gov. Walz, we would not be able to walk around and say that we got some accountability.”
Then, he said, Walz’s decision to attend the April 2022 funeral of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a Minnesota police officer, convinced him that the governor was uniquely built to lead.
“For him to take time out of his day to speak at the funeral, I gotta give him kudos,” Floyd said. “He showed what unity was. He’s a family man with a good heart.”
Floyd said he was pleasantly surprised to hear Walz’s name in the mix when he first heard about Harris’ search for a running mate. He was ecstatic when he learned that Walz was the Democratic VP nominee.
“Mr. Walz, I can’t say anything bad about him. I really just want to shake his hand right now,” Floyd said. “Sometimes, it’s the people that you don’t see everyday, those are the people that have the best advice. He’s ready.”
As Walz and Harris gear up for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and for a whirlwind race for the next three months, Floyd said he is ready to help in any way he can — including on the campaign trail.
“I would jump in on anything concerning what’s going on with them,” he said.
