Mankato students help prepare DNC for Tim Walz

Gov. Walz set to speak at DNC

Gov. Tim Walz is set to take the stage Wednesday night at the third night of the Democratic National Convention.

CHICAGO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will formally accept the vice presidential nomination Wednesday night during day three of the Democratic National Convention.

What's happening

The crowd will get a lot of personal stories from people who’ve known Tim Walz throughout his life as a teacher, a coach, a soldier, a leader, and a neighbor.

And then they’ll hear from the governor himself as he makes the case to voters for a Harris-Walz ticket.

Walz skyrocketed from Minnesota to the national stage two weeks ago when Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate.

Democrats are now projecting his folksy image for every voter to see.

"You can tell those flannel shirts that he wears don’t come from some political consultant," said Barack Obama at the convention Tuesday night as cameras planned to Gwen Walz nodding in agreement. "They come from his closet. And they’ve been through some stuff. They have been through some stuff. That’s right."

Team Walz ate up the attention on Buffalo plaid at the Minnesota delegate breakfast Wednesday.

And shared their enthusiasm for the governor and his background with prominent national Democrats.

What they're saying

"The measure of a great teacher is the success of your students," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. "The measure of a great coach is the performance of your players. The measure of a great sergeant is the readiness of your soldiers. That is the kind of mentality we need in the White House."

The Trump campaign has attacked Walz’s service record and released a letter Wednesday signed by 50 Republican veterans who repeated mostly debunked criticisms about his final rank and the timing of his departure from the National Guard.

The convention will hear from a fellow Minnesota Guardsman and several former students, including Nate Hood.

"I met Tim Walz in 1995-96," said former Mankato West student Nate Hood. "He was the same guy as he is today. He’s had a ton of success and it hasn’t gone to his head. Just one of the most down-to-earth genuinely nice people I’ve ever met."

Nate took part in one of several surprises Wednesday night.

John Legend and Sheila E. introduced him with Prince's "Let's Go Crazy".

And the official nomination came from Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Ben Ingram, a former student and neighbor.