Gwen Walz sparks debate over fertility treatment at Democratic convention

Gwen Walz, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, found herself in the spotlight at the party’s convention on Wednesday amid a dispute over their fertility treatment. The 58-year-old teacher, who introduced Kamala Harris’s running mate through a video before his major appearance in Chicago, shares a similar Midwestern charm with her husband. Unlike the Minnesota governor, Gwen Walz remains relatively unknown to voters, but Democrats aim to leverage the couple to connect with Middle America.

She received a taste of fame on Tuesday night when former president Barack Obama praised Tim Walz’s familiar flannel shirts, saying they “come from his closet and have been through some stuff.” The jumbotron in the Chicago arena then focused on Gwen Walz, who was clapping, nodding, and waving at Obama’s remarks. “It’s so true, @BarackObama,” she posted on X on Wednesday, alongside a picture of her husband in a checkered black and red shirt. “Tim loves his flannels.”

In her convention video, Gwen Walz provides a more personal glimpse into their lives. She recounts meeting Tim Walz while they were both teaching at a high school in Nebraska, where students likened them to Bill and Hillary Clinton. “We shared a classroom with a divider right down the middle,” she says in the video. “His classroom was much louder than mine, but I could hear how engaged his students were.” She also talks about their struggle to have children, saying, “Fertility treatments made it possible. There’s a reason our daughter is called Hope.”

This issue is personal to us because we struggled to have kids.

Fertility treatments made it possible. And as Tim always likes to say: That’s why we named our daughter Hope. https://t.co/G2lFlMa66E

— Gwen Walz (@GwenWalz) August 22, 2024

Tim Walz has often referred to their fertility issues on the campaign trail, using them to highlight Republican efforts to limit access to abortion and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, Republicans were outraged this week when Gwen Walz revealed in a pre-convention interview that the couple had used Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) instead of IVF. IUI involves placing sperm directly into the uterus, sometimes with hormones, rather than combining an egg with sperm in a lab. Tim Walz’s Republican rival, J.D. Vance, accused him of lying about using IVF, saying, “Who lies about something like that?”

Democrats hope the couple’s stories will resonate with voters facing similar challenges. Adding to their personal revelations, the Walzes told People magazine that their 17-year-old son, Gus, has ADHD and an anxiety disorder.

While Gwen Walz faces a national stage test, she has been active in local politics for years. Unlike Vance’s wife, Usha, who is new to politics, Gwen has advised her husband for nearly two decades in Minnesota. During this time, she has been a “coolheaded” force compared to her energetic husband, with some colleagues speculating she might run for office herself.

John Klaber, who met the couple in 1996, remarked, “When you get Tim, you get Gwen.” This week, Gwen Walz said Democrats could “win this thing” at a side event in Chicago. Reflecting on their political journey, she said, “When Tim ran for Congress in 2006, the last thing he had been elected to was the homecoming king. We have never lost a political race since.”