Tim Walz is the Governor of Minnesota. He assumed office on January 7, 2019. His current term ends on January 4, 2027. Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, in 1964 and graduated from high school in Butte, Nebraska, in 1982. He enlisted in the Army National Guard at the age of 17. In 1989, Walz earned a bachelor's degree from Chadron State College. After graduating, he taught high school in China for one year. He returned to Nebraska and taught high school before moving to his wife's native Minnesota in 1994, where he taught at Mankato West High School and became a coach on the school's football team. He earned an M.S. at Minnesota State University in 2001. In 2005, he retired from the Army National Guard as a master sergeant after 24 years of service and reaching the rank of command sergeant major. Walz first ran for office in 2006 when he was elected to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. According to Minnesota Public Radio, Walz campaigned on promises "to invest in education and transportation, work to provide health care to the uninsured and strive to balance the federal budget." Walz defeated incumbent Rep. Gil Gutknecht 52.7%-47.1% and was re-elected five times, by a margin of as much as 29.6% in 2008, and as little as 0.7% in 2016. At the time of his first election, Walz was the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress.
